Shin Megami Tensei: PeruSuri
by Orochi Shiki
Summary: Four girls, a new school, mysterious time-space phenomena, dark creatures and bizzarre summons. A whacky Lucky Star/Persona 3 crossover with a bit of Gundam SEED Destiny where nothing is the way it looks...YAOI/YURI PAIRINGS NOT INCLUDED! Sor-rie!
1. Introduction

_**SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI: PERUSURI**_

**Introduction to the starting main cast**

_**For starters, I don't own neither the MegaTen series, LuckyStar nor Gundam SEED Destiny... if I did own one of them, things would be so lively in MegaTen (For the record, as in this fic), LS would have more guys and... as for Destiny, it would have an UNIQUE hero and he wouldn't be THAT wussy! Second: don't expect any Shinjihiko, Konami or other kind of yaoi/yuri scene cause I'm not into that stuff, and I repeat, I'm NOT INTO THAT STUFF!!!**_

**SEES: **Standing for Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, it's a special team within the Gekkoukan High School who's bearing the tasks of defeating Shadows and unveiling the mystery of the Dark Hour phenomena. Will it be all of it or the sponsors from Kirijo Group are hiding something??

**Kenji Shugo (AKA the P3 Hero, mostly known as Minato Arisato)**

**School status: **Junior

**Arcana(s): **Apparently any

**Weapon: **Any

**Special traits (Spoiler-free): **Can summon more Personas, seemingly infinite potential, also pretty absentminded and dull

He's mostly seen as a new transfer student who was recruited in SEES because of his abilities in fighting Shadows. It appears he came back in the city the story takes place after being away for a few years, following his parents' death. His simple yet emo-ish look and absentminded attitude seem like luring other people's sympathy, especially when it comes to girls, and appears having a good deal of fan girls within the school, but he seems like having a hard time managing many dates altogether.

**Yukari Takeba**

**School status: **Junior

**Arcana: **The Lovers

**Weapon: **Bow

**Special traits: **Natural archery skill, healing asset, has a bad tempered streak at times

A cute-looking and popular girl within the Gekkoukan High School and also a major informant within SEES.. Her generically genki attitude seems to hide an insecure and lonely girl and she's sometimes hard to approach... she's also very jealous and easy to irritate, especially when a naughty boy is around or the guy she likes acts like a pervert. You can say she's the situation's Akane Tendo!

**Junpei Iori**

**School status: **Junior

**Arcana: **The Magician

**Weapon: **Broad sword

**Special traits: **Womanizer (Although he doesn't have much luck with them), TERRIBLE self confidence

An ordinary-looking teen-ager who was flinged in a twist of events that look too big for him. He likes acting like a carefree buffoon so to hide his insecureness and he joins SEES hoping to gain some confidence. He likes to flirt with girls, but doesn't seem to be able to find someone who can truly understand him.

**Akihiko Sanada**

**School status: **Senior

**Arcana: **The Emperor

**Weapon: **Gloves/Claws

**Special traits: **An original SEES founding member, very mature, collected and competitive, feels uneasy when addressing to girls (Still, some of them made a fan club about him!)

Proud captain of the Gekkoukan school boxing club and one of the SEES founders. His agonistic spirit emerges in every single thing he does, either ordinary life or Shadow fight: he's always determined and a hard-worker. He's also dead serious, which often causes him to bicker with his kouhai Junpei. His only weak point? Dealing with girls.

**Mitsuru Kirijo**

**School status: **Senior, student council president

**Arcana: **The Empress

**Weapon: **Rapier

**Special traits: **An original SEES founding member, VERY cool and clever, ruthless anger you DON'T WANT to receive, also very proud

She's the daughter of the Kirijo Group head, therefore she has been fighting Shadows for quite some time and often assists the group with tactical advice. Being her father the head for the main SEES sponsor, she knows a few secrets about the situation, but she won't reveal to anyone for some reason...

**Chairman Shuji Ikutsuki**

He's the cheerful-looking man who's more likely the boss of SEES. He's always there to boost the group morale as the mysteries are solved (And he doesn't spare some really cheesy and unfunny jokes), but he seems like hiding more than it looks under his friendly attitude.

**New Characters**

**Konata Izumi**

**School status: **Senior (Though she looks like a junior high schoolgirl)

**Arcana: **The Star

**Weapon: **Any

**Special traits: **Can use other games attacks, HUGE anime/manga/videogame hardcore, tendency to spend huge amounts of money in japanimation/gaming merchandise

She's an eccentric yet awesome otaku girl who was recently transferred to the Gekkoukan High, finding herself involved in some unexpected, supernatural events. She hates studying and always does her homework to the last minute, since she prefers spending her time by playing games or visiting the local bookstores. She looks much younger than other girls of her own age, but she doesn't fret about it... well, at least not too much!

**Kagami Hiiragi**

**School status: **Senior

**Arcana: **The Magician

**Weapon: **Machine gun

**Special traits: **Excellent grades, tendency to lose her temper, very realist

Another transfer student to the Gekkoukan High who gets sucked in strange events. She's considered a model student and a very responsable girl. Although she acts like she didn't care, one of her aspirations is to find herself a nice boyfriend. She often argues with Konatabecause of her excessivism when it comes to reading manga and stuff. She also frets about being slightly overweight (Umm... she is? Doesn't seem so to me...).

**Tsukasa Hiiragi**

**School status: **Senior (Though it's hard to believe...)

**Arcana: **The Fool

**Weapon: **Crossbow

**Special traits: **Aside the fact she's so cute in a klutzy way you can't help but adoring her?

Kagami's twin sister who transferred to the Gekkoukan with her. She's a friendly yet clumsy little girl who's often having sleeping trouble. Her kind and awkward attitude makes the other students to get attached and protective to her, although some approach her just cause she looks similiar to a character from the To Heart series.

**Miyuki Takara**

**School status: **Senior

**Arcana: **The High Priestess

**Weapon: **None (She's a navigator)

**Special traits: **Incredibly vast range of knowledge, comes from a wealthy family, can detect Shadows thanks to her Persona

Another transfer student who's quite noticeable because of her moe meganekko (Read: cute-hot girl with glasses) look and her tendency to make actual lectures once she starts talking about a certain subject. She can't use the powers of her Persona to fight, but she can use it to detect Shadows and act as a navigator to Konata and the others. She has the tendency to space out when she's reading an interesting book and this sometimes causes her to forget about the Dark Hour.

**Shinn Asuka**

**Arcana: **The Tower

**Weapon: **Twin swords/swallow

**Special traits: **"SEED" bearer, vicious temper, also quite on the whiny brat side

A strange kid who got sucked in the wrong place at the wrong time, but somehow managed to enter the Dark Hour, much of his dismal. At first the whole situation he's in causes him to freak out; later he'll learn how to handle things and will settle down, becoming a worthy ally in the fight against Shadows.

**Original Characters**

**Kumiko Fukuyama**

**School status: **Senior

**Arcana: **The Moon

**Weapon: **Chakrams

**Special traits: **Superhuman strength and agility, hidden vicious side, splendid singing voice

A good-looking, somehow enigmatic girl who's haunted by strange dreams which led her to the Gekkoukan High. Although her goals look similar to the ones of the SEES members, she refuses to join the group for some reason... During the daily hours, she's a quiet and lone student who also works as a Doujinshi drawer and a member of the school's swimming club; when the Dark Hour occurs, she becomes a merciless Shadow slayer and shows her darker, more aggressive self. She's also the only one who doesn't use an Hi-Tech evoking device to summon her Persona.

**Rei Kurohagane**

**School status: **Teacher

**Arcana: **The Death

**Weapon: **Knives

**Special traits: **Self-proclaimed "Genius beyond comparison", escaped death several times, knows much about people who don't even seem to know him

A mysterious man who seems to know a good deal about the current twist of events and claims he can move between different dimensions. He's also Kumiko's boss in the Doujinshi department, not to mention her battle adviser. After finding out of Persona users aside the SEES members, he decides to recruit them and form another group, one which only has the unveiling of the truth as primary goal. His personality is over-confident, with a strong perverted streak, which often contrasts with Kumiko's tastes.

**Plot**

Four not so ordinary school girls are being sent to another city because of an exchange program in their school. Soon after their arrival to the new place and reaching the students dorms, the girls witness to a bizzarre time-space phenomena occurring between each day, the Dark Hour, and are soon after attacked by Shadows, demonic-like creatures. Soon, the quartet finds out that they all have the ability to summon Personas, hidden selves within people's hearts. At the same time, another girl who was warned of an upcoming crisis by a dream, rescues a boy who accidentally drifted in that dimension, defeating some Shadows chasing him... While all of this is happening, a youth is about to find out about a power inside him that could either change the world in good... or damn us all forever...


	2. Chapter 1: When the time stops

_**CHAPTER 1: When the time stops…**_

The dark haired girl was enjoying the nice spring breeze as she was lying down among the flowers… it appeared as if nothing could spoil that very moment. In her heart, the girl wished nothing could spoil the peace she felt in her heart…

Then, in a moment, it all was enveloped by the darkness… Blackness as far as the eye could see… then, in the vast sea of darkness, a white face appeared, its mouth twisted in an eerie smile.

The girl got up on her feet, her eyes narrowing as she tried to show no fear to whatever that…THING…was.

"You can't hide what you're feeling…" the white face hissed, staring at the girl with her empty eye holes. That creepy blackness caused a chill to run down her spine. "Your mind is nothing but an open book for me!"

The girl just glared at the pale face above her: she wanted to reply, but for some reasons, words weren't coming out of her mouth. Seeing that its interlocutor wasn't saying a word, the white face stared to a spot, behind the young girl and, in a matter of less than a minute, turned the flower-filled hill into some sort of red water pool; the girl walked to it, as if she was possessed by some force and saw scenes from her own world taking shape inside it: people walking and talking into a city. Then, the scene switched to a park, where two people were arguing in quite a fierce way and started to beat each other.

"Aren't humans quite an amusing species… they have the power to built great things and yet they get caught in petty fight for their own selfish desires… unaware of how much they're headed to their own destruction…" the white face said with a subtle voice, as the two people in the pool kept on fighting to the point of menacing to shoot at each other.

"……yeah…" The girl replied quietly, her voice still showing her anxiety as she saw the two men being turned into two soldiers shooting at each other and then becoming coffins

"Tell me… is there really a point in trying to help such a hopeless species?" It asked, as the girl was clearly in pain as she heard the cries of sorrow due to scenes where people kept on mourning over their dead beloved kept on streaming inside the water pool.

The head continued. "No… but this is a moot point… for soon, the end will come and this won't bother us anymore…"

With that, the girl watched in horror as a black winged demon with the very same face which was talking to her plumbed upon the world, causing calamities which swallowed people, tormenting and killing them as their screams echoed in her head.

Not being able to stand this any longer, the girl's mind snapped as her eyes opened; she looked around, realizing that the place she was in switched to her own bedroom and sighed in relief. It wasn't the first time she had such a dream: as a matter of fact, she suffered the same vision for the last two years, and every time she felt the same terrible sensation, not understanding what that meant.

She got up from her bed and walked to her window while staring at the moon. In a few days it would have been full… the thought of it caused her to frown as she threw an eye to the old glove enveloping her hand: it was a very old cloth glove, which was bound by some sort of beady bracelet with a smooth-looking fang.

_Time… is running out…_

**04/04/09**

"…and this is the reason we want these four students to be assigned to our school for their last school year." A male voice concluded his speech on the phone.

"Well I don't know… I still think it would be wise to let them finish their high school here... if not for the sake of their acquaintances…" the woman on the other side of the phone replied, insecure.

"I see your point, Kuroi-San… but rest assured, the study level in this school is quite advanced: there's nothing those students are going to miss… we're always looking for people who can harness their potential to shape the future." The man said, in a quiet and low voice.

"Hmmm…. But still…" the woman kept on sounding insecure.

"I suggest to let them try the place anyway… if something's off, I'll make sure to send them back immediately. As for the travel's fee to this island… I'll take care of everything personally." The man said, as he opened a logbook with several teenager pictures on it.

"This must be really important to you if you insist so much."

"It's in everyone's best interest…"

**04/06/09**

It was almost sundown when the train finally stopped at Iwatodai station: as soon as the doors opened, a bunch of passengers started getting off, spreading in many direction.

Among them, there was a bunch made of four girls: although they were all the same age, there was one whose look could deceive you in thinking she'd be a child due to being small and flat-chested.

"Hmmmmph!! Well, here we are!" the childish-looking girl said as she stretched. "Took it more than expected though… do trains ever leave punctually??"

Two other girls, who looked quite similar because of their hair and eye color, looked at each other and shrugged. "Maybe we should consider ourselves lucky… if the train did leave at the exact time, me and Tsukasa would have lost it!" The elder-looking of the two sighed as she passed a hand between one of her long pigtails.

"I…I'm sorry, sis…" the other girl, Tsukasa, awkwardly replied, a shy smile on her face "I took more time than expected to pack my things… I didn't know what to take along…"

"Anyway", the girl with pigtails started "I wonder what this program exchange thing is about and why US! All of us!"

Tsukasa looked at her as she tilted her head, not really understanding. "Maybe it's just a coincidence?"

The small-looking girl turned around to the other three, shaking her finger with a wise expression. "No, no, no… if there's something I've learnt by playing all those RPG it's that coincidences-DO-NOT-exist! Nothing ever happens by chance!"

The girl with the pigtails narrowed her eyes and angrily moaned: "This is no RPG, Konata… we're talking about serious school business!"

"Well there's no use in dwelling over this kind of things, Kagamin…" Konata replied, promptly "… I mean, aren't you excited?? We're in a new city and we're off to a brand new school! Man, it all feels like the beginning of a dating sim!"

Kagami just shook her head. "Can you stop talking about games for once?" then, to the tallest of the bunch, a cute looking girl with glasses, wavy hair and a very mature figure: "Umm… Miyuki, what was the name of the school again?"

The girl named Miyuki awkwardly put the pamphlet about the Bay Area away and walked closer to her friends, starting her explanation while smiling. "It is called Gekkoukan High School, a private institute, apparently the only one in this zone; just like some other buildings around here, this school is owned by a big company named Kirijo group. Although it was actually founded in more remote years, it appears to have been restructured about ten years ago. It has a very good teaching degree and its extracurricular activities include both sports such as kendo, archery and swimming or creative activities such as art, music and photography."

"Sounds like a busy place… now you're making me curious!" Kagami grinned.

"Yeah? I see no difference between this and another school... save for the forceful yuri-ish atmosphere private schools have…" Konata sighed as she crossed her arms behind her head. "Anyway, where are we to stay?"

With that, Miyuki started looking at the map (and made the rest of the pamphlets fall in the process!). "Let's see… according to this, there's a dorm not too far from this station… but it seems it doesn't have many rooms…"

Tsukasa started to look concerned. "But then, where are we going to sleep??"

"It's alright." Miyuki said, her gaze still on the Bay Area map. "According to my info, there aren't many transfer students here. I think we should try and go there anyway and hope for the best."

The sun was already down when the quartet reached the local dorm, who looked quite an old style hotel of sorts; they decided to stop to the place immediately, since the long journey did took a toll on them all.

Once they reached the doorway, they all felt a bit intimidated by the look of the building. As Miyuki knocked, they almost expected to see some sort of mystery novel-like butler opening the door for them and taking them in with a sophisticated British accent; when they saw the one who answered, they couldn't help but having a hard time stifling a laugh: a stylish-looking silver-haired young man wearing a red waistcoat over a white shirt, not to mention elegant black pants and gloves was right on the doorway, looking down to them.

When the guy asked "Yes? What is it?", they couldn't control themselves anymore, bursting into a loud laughter.

The guy's left eyebrow started to twitch as his face turned red. "Do I have puppets on my face or something…?" he stuttered, both embarrassed and annoyed.

Noticing that the whole situation was becoming a bit too awkward, Miyuki stopped laughing and wiped off tears from her eyes. "Sorry about that… um… we just arrived in this city… we're to be transferred to Gekkoukan high from tomorrow, and…"

"…well, you could say that earlier!" he puffed. "But I'm not sure there will be enough room for all of you."

"You don't know?" Kagami asked, tilting her head. "But aren't you suppose to work in this place… you know… as a domestic?"

The guy looked at her while placing a hand at his side. "Actually, I happen to be one of the students who live here." He said, causing the quartet to jolt. The guy cleared his throat, still blushing.

The four girls gathered and started whispering to each other: they messed up big time! But at first gaze, he did look like some sort of waiter…

The guy kept on looking at them for a while, then he shook his head and stepped out. "Um, anyway… I have to go out, so if you need something, go ask Mitsuru." He then walked away while muttering "Mistaking me for a waiter… Can't believe it!"

Still not believing to the embarrassing gaffe they just went through, the four girls stepped inside the dorm: it looked even more like that kind of hotel from the inside! There was the receptionist desk right next to the entrance with the keys shelf, a table with chairs and couches around it, an old-looking TV and, a bit farther, some dining tables.

"Wow! I feel like in a mystery novel, even more than earlier!" Miyuki said, clasping her hands together.

Konata looked at Kagami and cupped her chin while smirking. "Hmm… think there is going to be a murderer??"

Tsukasa was quite startled by that remark and hugged her sister, who seemed more annoyed than scared. "Knock it off! You're making no sense! This is a NORMAL dorm!!"

"Ooooh? It is?" Konata's gaze darkened. "If you ask me, that guy we just saw could as well hide some skeletons in his closets…"

"Gimme a break!! There is NO ONE here who has murderous intents, OK?!" Although she acted tough, Kagami was feeling a chill running down her spine.

Then, a sudden voice behind her made her jump.

"Who's there? Is it you, Shugo?" It was a cool, low-sounding female voice.

The girls turned to the staircase leading to the upper floors, where the voice came from: they saw a very attractive and mature-looking girl with long, wavy red hair, a big lock covering her left eye; she wore a refined white shirt with a red bow above her chest, a dark skirt and long boots. The beautiful young woman was looking to the quartet with a confident-looking stare.

On their hand, they all, save for Konata, seemed quite intimidated by this girl's presence and it took some time for them to talk.

Seeing that Miyuki was still in an awe, Konata tapped her arm, bringing her back to reality. "Um… hello… are you from here? We will start schooling at Gekkoukan high school from tomorrow… we came from another city and were wondering if we could stay here…" she stuttered shyly while fixing her glasses on her nose.

"I see" the red-haired girl calmly replied. "But there are not enough rooms for the four of you. Unfortunately, all of our rooms here have one bed."

Kagami stepped forward. "If it's OK I can share the room with my sister… look, I even have a futon!" she said as she opened one of her bags. Then, at Konata's ear. "I brought this along for such an eventuality."

"Good old Kagamin… always thinking ahead!" Konata smirked.

The redhead nodded with a slight smile. "Tres bien, then… please, this way." She said as she guided the four girls to the third floor, where the girls' dorm was.

"Wow… so the dorm is co-ed, huh? But isn't this a bit… well… inconvenient?" Kagami asked, as she took a look at the boys' dorm on the second floor.

"We have reasons for this." The red-haired girl coldly replied as she kept on walking up the staircase.

"This girl… she gives me the creeps…" Tsukasa whispered to Kagami, everything about her telling how unsettling that place was to her.

The girl with the long pigtails tried and cheer her sister up. "Admittedly she IS kinda cold, but she doesn't look like a bad person…"

"Hey, Kagamin!!" Konata whispered to Kagami, a strange light in her eyes. "What if SHE'S the one keeping skeletons in her closets?? SUS-PI-CIOUS…."

Feeling another chill, Kagami snapped at her little friend and yelled: "WILL YOU STOP IT WITH THIS STORY ONCE AND FOR ALL!!" Then, realizing she was yelling, she composed herself and bowed to the host.

The mature-looking girl didn't seem to react to that: she just arched an eyebrow and asked "Something the matter?" with the very same voice tone she always used.

"N-n-nothing at all! Please, don't mind Konata! She's a bit funny in her head…" Kagami answered, frantically waving her arms.

The girl paused and then placed a hand on her side. "As I was saying… this is but a temporary measure. We're keeping you here for now, but you'd better hurry and find somewhere else as soon as possible."

Tsukasa tilted her head. "We can't stay here? Why?"

"It's a bit hard to explain. Let's just say that this isn't an ordinary dorm… only a limited number of students can stay here… that's all I can tell for now."

With that, she led them to their rooms and gave them the keys. She also explained that there was also another girl in one of the rooms currently: a girl named Takeba.

"Well, this should do for now. Sorry if I'm leaving now, but I'm to wait for another " The red-head said before leaving. Then, she stopped on her tracks. "By the way… I forgot to introduce myself: my name is Mitsuru Kirijo. If you have any question about your new school, be sure to ask me." Then she left, leaving them all in the hallway between the girls' rooms.

Miyuki looked thoughtful. "She said Kirijo… so she's involved with the Kirijo group, but…Not an ordinary dorm? Wonder what she meant…"

"In any case, we'd better start looking for another settlement by tomorrow, once the class will be over. I don't want any trouble…" Kagami remarked as she crossed her arms.

"So" Tsukasa said as she clasped her hands together "Now that we're all here… what are we to do??"

As if possessed by something, Konata rushed inside her room and didn't even bother to close the door. A bunch of loud noises were heard from the room as she emptied one of her bags. Curious, her friends peeked inside to see a bunch of clothes on the room's floor and Konata all taken in connecting a PS2 slim to the room's TV.

Kagami couldn't help but face-palming at the sight of it: she should have seen it coming, bringing a game system along! "Hey, didn't you hear Mitsuru-San? She said we'll have to move from here soon!"

"I know, I know!" Konata answered nonchalantly. "But I DO have to perform my late night gaming marathon, or else I'll have trouble sleeping!"

With that, she took out a bunch of PS2 games, including the latest Super Robot Allstars: Next Generation strategy RPG and a shooter named Omega Stella.

"Hey, Kagamin! You wanted to try this one, right?" She asked.

"Definitely!" Kagami answered with a smile, but then she turned irritated again. "But that's beyond the point! We're starting a new school tomorrow, you want to be late the FIRST DAY IN A NEW SCHOOL?! Hey are you listening?!"

But Konata wasn't listening: as a matter of fact, she already flung herself on the Super Robot Allstars game and nothing would have been able to distract her. Seeing it was a lost cause, Kagami shook her head and walked to her room, Tsukasa in her tow.

Konata was having so much fun playing that she didn't even notice that there was just a minute left to midnight. She already completed a good deal of stages and would have gone on forever! Even the stage she was currently playing was almost cleared, as she only needed to deliver the finishing blow to the stage boss. Sure to win, she pressed the X button on her controller and observed as she were watching a movie, while the unit she moved proceeded to attack the boss to finish it off. It was then that the clock reached midnight… and the animations on the screen faded as the TV suddenly shutdown automatically, just like the lamp on her bedside table…

Desperately, she jumped off the bed and frantically tried to turn the console on, but no avail.

"I had to save… I had to save…" She sadly repeated to herself, blaming herself for not saving the game before reaching that stage of the game. Then she walked to the main light switch and tried to turn the lights on, but again, there was no change.

Little by little, her eyes seemed to adapt to the darkness around here, enough to glimpse some sort of greenish shades and she wondered if it was due to the colors inside the room.

"Anyway… wanna bet that the dorm manager purposely switched the main power off to make sure the students don't stay up late? Such a tyranny…" The small girl puffed.

With that, she decided to wait at least thirty minutes before going out looking for the main power switch.

_Is it always so creepy at night? Feel like a ghost is going to appear… _Konata mused as she examined the greenish shades around her. Then she opened her room's door and tiptoed to the staircase.

It was then that she heard some footsteps and something like someone on the verge of pulling a trigger, which prompted her to dash and duck behind a chair. Holding her breath, she waited for the footsteps to get softer before getting out of her hideout.

_Tight security, huh? That's nothing for Solid Konata. _She thought with a smirk; then she proceeded to the lower floors, mentally singing the Metal Gear Solid theme.

Konata already reached the second floor, the boys' dorm, as she heard someone speaking from beneath: as she peeked, she spotted a slim guy with emo-ish blue hair, who was writing on something and looked like talking to himself.

_Oh, great… just what we needed! An emo kid! _Konata thought. But her thoughts were interrupted by a female voice screaming.

"WHO'S THERE?!"

More curious than ever, Konata peeked a bit farther to see a pink-dressed brunette standing before the newcomer. The only moment the small girl was about to jolt was when she noticed that the brunette was about to draw a gun!

Then, another voice. "Takeba, wait!"

Konata recognized the other person walking to the two: it was Mitsuru. Then, as soon as the red-haired girl was close enough to the girl named Takeba, the power was suddenly restored.

_Oh, the power's back! Then it wasn't a shutdown… _Konata thought, ready to go back to her game. But first, her curiosity pushed her to overhear the conversation between the three of them: it was nothing too fancy, as the two girls were introducing themselves to the newcomer, whose name seemed to be Kenji Shugo. Then, noticing that the brunette, Yukari Takeba, was leading him to the boys' dorm, she decided to rush back into her room, unseen.

When she went back to her room, she couldn't help but jolting: despite the sudden power shutdown, her game was proceeding as if it never occurred and the stage boss was defeated!

"Well… talk about luck with a capital L! Nothing like this ever happened to me!" She said as she progressed to the latest save point before hitting the sack.

**04/07/09**

"You'll never believe what happened to me the last night!!" Konata enthusiastly told her three friends. "I was playing my PS2 when there was this power shutdown… maybe a black out!... anyway, when the power came back, the game I was playing was just like I left it!"

The three girls just stood there, staring at her.

Kagami's eyes narrowed. "…are you sure it wasn't a dream? Such a thing it's quite illogical…"

"Hey, if I'm telling you it happened, then it happened." The small girl pouted.

"Well generically" Miyuki started. "when electronic devices are forcefully switched off after a power cut, once the power is back, they start up from the beginning. It's especially critical with alarm clocks or VCR, where you have to set the exact hour. If what you said it's true, it's quite a rare and uncommon thing indeed…"

This prompted Kagami to reflect. "Say, Tsukasa… was your alarm clock OK this morning?"

"Huh?" Tsukasa answered. "Umm… I think so…?"

"I knew it!" the girl with the long pigtails snapped her fingers. "If what you said about the power cut was true, the alarm clock would have been set to zero… which it isn't!" then, pointing her finger at Konata. "What you're saying is a hoax!!"

None of them realized that the silver-haired lad from the other day was approaching them; he kept on observing the argument between Konata and Kagami, hoping to see a breach in their vast sea of words.

As soon as he sensed one, he bashfully tried and interrupt. "Er… ah… ex…excuse me?"

But no one seemed to pay any attention to him.

He unconsciously clenched his fists as he raised his voice: "Hey?...HEY!!"

But he gained nothing at all, which caused him to sigh in frustration.

The silver-haired youth was about to leave when Miyuki, noticing him, walked closer to him and, as she smiled, placed a hand on his shoulder. Noticing that, the young man blushed violently.

"You're the one of the other evening, right?" She asked.

"Y…yeah…" He replied, shyly.

"Sorry for… you know… that mistake…"

"Nah, don't be. Anyway, think you could, uh… bring those three to attention?"

With that, Miyuki clapped her hands several time and graced her friends with a smile as they turned around to face her and the newcomer.

"Oh, it's you!" Konata said with a playful smile. "Didn't notice you!"

The lad scratched his cheek with a finger as he left out a hoarse cackle. "…you don't say…"

He then looked around, to see if all of them were paying attention, cleared his voice as his face lost his red hue and then placed a hand at his side, looking serious and self-important. "Hmm… I don't think I'm introduced myself yet. My name is Sanada: Akihiko Sanada. I'm a senior at Gekkoukan High. Mitsuru asked me to be your guide, since this is your first time here (And I'm not particularly eager to do this...)… so, anyway… are you all ready to go?"

Tsukasa jolted as soon as Akihiko stopped talking "AAAH!! I forgot to put the new uniform on!!" and rushed back in her room. Meanwhile, he noticed that Konata wasn't wearing an uniform and, mistaking her for an elementary student, he asked her what she was doing there.

"Tell you what" she answered with a straight face. "I'm a senior this year, just like you!"

He just stared at her, his eyes narrowing. "This is a dorm, not a lie-house… OK, now answer honestly!"

"Konata's not lying, Sanada…" Kagami answered. "We all came from the same school and we're all the same year!"

"Just for you to know" Konata continued as she smiled in a playful way. "I wear no uniform just because there wasn't one of my own size, it's being made up right now and as soon as it will be completed, they'll give it to me!"

Meanwhile, Tsukasa was done changing and rushed back to the rest of the group. Kagami noticed how pretty she was with the new uniform on, although Konata claimed that the Gekkoukan uniform was pretty depressing, since it was mainly black, although the red bow was pretty cute.

"Whatever" Akihiko sighed. "Let's just go, we're a bit behind with the schedule, but if we hur—"

"WAIT!!" Miyuki awkwardly screamed, causing Sanada to almost trip. He then turned to her, his face seemed like saying "Now WHAT?!"

Miyuki hesitated for a while, then, scratching her cheek, said: "Sanada-San was so nice introducing himself, I think we should introduce ourselves too. After all, we're from the same school and the same year."

Akihiko didn't reply; he simply dropped his head in disbelief. That was a very weird bunch of girls to deal with.

Miyuki was the first one to introduce. "My name is Miyuki Takara. I look forward for this school year."

Konata was the next. "Konata Izumi, I will GRADUATE next year!" she said, as to empathize the fact that she was a senior, despite her look.

Then it was Tsukasa's turn: "I am Tsukasa Hiiragi. Nice to meet you, Sanada-Kun."

Last one was Kagami. "Kagami Hiiragi. How do you do."

Akihiko observed both Kagami and Tsukasa for a while. He then asked nervously. "Say… are you two sisters?"

Tsukasa nodded. "Yes! Actually, we're twin sisters!"

"That's…nice…" He replied, his voice sounding like miles-distant, as he looked like thinking of something.

Kagami shook his head. _What a guy! _She thought. _He first rushes us and then spaces out! _She then tapped his shoulder, causing his mind to snap. Realizing that time was running out, he rushed downstairs, the four girls in his tow.

"Hey!! Can't you walk a little slower?!" Kagami asked between a light breath and another, as she, and the other girls were running to keep up the pace with their just known schoolmate; he had been walking at a very fast pace since they all got out of the train at Port Station and started to walk to reach Gekkoukan High.

"If I go even slower, we're gonna be late!" Sanada coldly stated as he didn't even look behind. "…besides I AM walking slower than usual…"

"A…are you saying you usually RUN?" Tsukasa weakly asked, completely out of breath.

"Why yes!" he proudly answered, his smile broadening. "This is a great exercise to do all mornings! Improves your breathing and invigorates your body."

_Of all the guys, did we have to get involved with a sports fanatic?! _Kagami thought, exasperated.

After covering some distance, the quintet reached the gateway to the Gekkoukan High School: it was a huge and modern-looking structure; even the courtyard was very big, a wide open space with many trees and even a few benches.

"Here we are: Gekkoukan High School. Not bad, huh?" Akihiko proudly stated as he faced the four girls. He remained speechless as he noticed that, beside Konata, the other girls were completely exhausted and left out an exasperated sigh as he shook his head.

"Well…" he stuttered with an embarrassed chuckle. "Sorry for leaving so soon, but I have pressing things to take care of… (Not to mention the fact that if THOSE GIRLS see me around with an unknown bunch of girls, it might cause a HUGE mess…)… but you should be OK on your own now. Well… see you."

With that, he left.

The first thing to do in the day order was to check the order of the classrooms and contact their own homeroom teacher; while Miyuki went and meet the teacher, Konata and the others walked to the bulletin board to see the order, but since there were so many students in front of it, seeing it was proving itself quite hard; especially Konata was having a hard time because of her small size.

"Over here!" a student wearing a cap gestured to her, inviting her to reach him. "There's some room here, in front of it!"

Thanking the lad, Konata crawled next to the capped lad and managed to read the names on the board: she felt relieved in seeing that her and her three friends this time were all together in the same homeroom, since in their old school, Kagami was in another one!

Then, a voice to her right caught her attention.

"OH NO!! I'm in the same class with Stupei!!" A female voice cried.

"OH YEAH!! I'm in the same class with Yuka-Tan!!" The capped student cheered.

Konata recognized its owner immediately: it was the brunette of the other night, Yukari Takeba! Her surprise grew even more as she noticed the blue-haired emo-ish guy, Kenji Shugo, as he walked up the stairs. _It wasn't a dream after all… I was sure of it! Take this, Kagamin!! _She thought, satisfied by the fact her wasn't just a dream.

"Hey there, Yuka-Tan!" the capped student said cheerfully. "Same classroom again, hm??"

Yukari shook her head, clearly disappointed. "Please, don't make me think about it… now if you excuse me…" she said before walking up the staircase after Kenji.

"Tough cookie, isn't she?" Konata asked as she examined the lad closer: she then noticed his goatee beard and the fact that he was wearing a blue shirt unlike the standard uniform's white shirt and a silver pendant.

"You bet! She pretty popular in this school… and now the rumor about her coming here with that blue-haired kid…Heheheh, wonder if there's something I don't know anything about?" he replied while scratching the rear of his head.

"By the by, thanks for your help back then!" She said as she smiled cheerfully.

"Hah, that was nothing!" he replied as he returned the smile. "Whoa, right! Didn't introduce myself, didn't I? Name's Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya, new kid!"

"Konata Izumi, 3rd year!" She replied, pointing her finger up.

This caused the guy, Junpei, to jolt and, for some weird reason, his cap jolted as well. "N…NO WAY!! Y-You're my SENPAI?!"

Konata chuckled as he nodded. Surely he didn't expect that such a small girl could be one year older than him, which caused him to react that way. Konata found it quite hilarious, although she didn't was very happy to always be seen as a kid.

"Are you done or not?" Kagami asked as she walked closer to the two; fortunately, the swarm of students in front of the bulletin board was more than halved, so she could approach it no problem. The small girl took advantage of this and introduced her friends to Junpei, who, for some reason, looked VERY pleased in seeing so many new pretty girls.

Meanwhile, Kagami was taking a look to the homeroom order and, just like Konata, she was pleased in seeing that the quartet wasn't going to be split. She also noticed another name: Akihiko's.

_Sanada too, hm? Hope he's not THAT fanatic 24/7… _She thought. As she kept on reading the names, another one caught her attention: Kumiko Fukuyama; it was the very same name she read on a series of Doujinshi she bought at the local bookstore before leaving, which caught her attention for the art style and the presence of very handsome boys.

"Say, Konata… Isn't Kumiko Fukuyama…" she asked as she beckoned her friend to come and take a look.

"Fukuyama? Wait, isn't she the authoress of all those Doujinshi for the Super Robot Allstars and Chronicles Of games?" Konata asked as she cupped her chin.

"Dunno… but it she isn't, it will probably be the craziest coincidence of the latest days… exchange program aside…"

After the school principal holding his school year opening speech (And it being interrupted by a few students from class 2-F talking, not to mention several questions to Konata and the others by a few girls who seemed quite upset because of the quartet being accompanied by Akihiko), classes officially started. Hours passed smoothly and before they all knew, the first day of school was already over. Most of the students were already gone or about to go; the few left in the four girls' homeroom were a couple of guys talking and a lonely-looking girl who was still sitting to her desk and writing something.

Tsukasa was packing all her stuff inside her school bag and once she was done, she stepped backward, not noticing that the writing girl was just behind her, so she bumped into her causing the piece of paper she was writing on to fall. Embarrassed, the cute-looking girl apologized with this new girl and bent over to pick it up. She was surprised when she noticed that there were some very well done manga sketches on it.

"Wow! You did these??" Tsukasa asked.

The girl silently nodded and swayed her gaze with a slight blush.

"You're very good! Congratulations!" Tsukasa continued; then she called for Konata and Kagami to take a look at those doodles.

As soon as she took a look at the sketches, Konata's mind snapped as she jolted. "Hey" she said "This art style is the same of a few non H doujinshi from RK I happened to read!"

"It's true!" Kagami answered, placing a hand at her mouth "It's the same art style of 'Chronicles of Melodia: To Eternity' and "Super Robot Allstars: Clash of the Two Brothers'."

Hearing that, the girl dropped her pencil and lifted her head to face the girls, giving them the chance to see her: she had long dark brown hair tied in two small ponytails on the rear and two deep brown, almost red eyes; she wore a blue sweater above her school uniform shirt, showing just the uniform's red bow on her chest and the black skirt. She also wore long white stockings and an ancient-looking fingerless leather glove with an old symbol on it, which was tied on her hand by a beaded bracelet.

The girl faced them without changing her expression, save for a slight blush. "You…can tell? There aren't many people who recognize my art style here in the school…"

Both Konata and Kagami exchanged a glare. It seemed they were right after all! "Say, is your name by chance… Fukuyama?" They both asked.

The girl nodded. "I think you realized by now… I'm Kumiko Fukuyama, the very same working on as one of the RK Doujinshi makers."

Then, Kumiko noticed that Konata's eyes started sparkling: she looked like a music fan in front of her favourite singer. Of course that's understandable, since having Doujinshi authoress in your own homeroom isn't something happening often! The brown-haired girl blinked, confused. She then packed her stuff and walked to the classroom doorway. "Excuse me, but I'm a bit in a hurry today. Well… see you tomorrow!" she said before leaving.

"NO, WAIT!!" Konata cried while waving both arms. "Show me around!! Let's go somewhere together!! Don't go!!"

But when the sliding door closed, she dropped her head with a sigh.

Meanwhile, Kumiko was done walking the stairs down and heading to the shoes lockers, when she noticed a man talking to the clerk at the vending stand: he was tall with almost black hair, wearing glasses and a long, cool-looking grey trenchcoat. Noticing the girl, he gestured her to come closer.

As soon as she reached the man, Kumiko opened her backpack and took out her latest manga panels.

"As efficient as always…" the man said, satisfaction in his voice. "Your style is getting better all the time… are you sure you want to stick on plain fan service for girls?"

Kumiko shook her head. "I'm not into that stuff, I told you… besides, it feels kind of awkward to me when I draw men down the crotch." She said as she walked to her shoes locker.

"Oh, wait!" The man called for her once she was done wearing her beautiful black shoes, similar to the ones ballet dancers wear.

"Did I forget to bring you something, Rei-Sensei?" She asked.

The man's eyes became incredibly serious, glasses almost covering them. "Did you meet 'them' yet?"

Even Kumiko's eyes sharpened as she answered with an ice-cold tone. "As a matter of fact, I think I did. But there's no way to tell either they have the 'potential' or not… how can you be so sure?"

"I'm not." Rei fixed his glasses with his fingers. "As far as that matters, we can just wait… there's a full moon the day after tomorrow, so chances are that 'those things' will appear out in the open… it's the perfect time for us to find out."

Kumiko smirked. "Heh, hopefully Ikutsuki and his kids won't find it out before you do…"

"Hey, they could be your comrades soon, you could at least be a little more cooperative…!" Rei puffed as the girl quietly walked away. _Right…the day after tomorrow it's a full moon…that means 'he' will probably wake his power too… _he quietly though as he watched the blue-dressed girl running towards the station. _It's time to put things in motion!_

**04/08/09**

The second day at the new school proceeded smoothly; at the end of the school day, Konata managed to persuade Kumiko in guiding them in a tour around the school. The girl showed them around and also explained all the extracurricular clubs.

Once they were done with their tour, they all took the train together to leave the island the school was on. Once they arrived at Iwatodai station, Kumiko said goodbye to her new classmates and headed to the strip mall while the quartet headed back to the dorm.

Once they were inside, they noticed a few persons sitting in the lobby: it was Kenji, the blue-haired boy Konata spotted, Yukari and a sophisticated-looking man with long, wavy brown hair who wore glasses and a brown outfit.

The three of them turned to face the girls.

"Oh, good evening!" the man politely said with a friendly smile. "are you lovely ladies guests in this dorm as well?"

"Well, not quite…" Miyuki answered as she blushed. "It's just a temporary measure, we'll soon have to move to another place…"

"I see… too bad…" he frowned. "But allow me to introduce myself anyway: I am Shuji Ikutsuki, the chairman of the board for your school."

Konata cupped her chin as she frowned. "Ikutsuki… what a funny name! Kinda tongue-tying…"

Kagami winced at that remark and nudged Konata. "P…please don't mind her!..."

Ikutsuki didn't look angry at all at that remark: instead, he let himself go to a chuckle. "Oh, it is no problem, really! Even I get tongue-tied when I introduce myself at times… anyway, although it's just for a few days, I hope you'll stay well in this place and will get along with the other students here. Talking about this…"

The chairman gestured the guy and the brunette to get up and greet the girls.

Ikutsuki continued to talk. "She's Yukari and he's Kenji. He just arrived here like you did."

After looking at the four girls, Kenji's gaze stopped on Tsukasa, who was gracing him with the friendlier of smiles. He did the same with her and both started chuckling.

On the other hand, Yukari looked like suspecting something. He approached the chairman and whispered. "Chairman, are these girls…?"

"No, their presence here wasn't planned." He whispered back. "Anyway, should something happen, they'll mostly forget about it, so there's no point in worrying about them… you just worry about making our guests feel good… and mainly focus on monitoring him…"

Shuji then faced Kenji, who was still making friends with Tsukasa and the others. It took a while for him to notice that the chairman was calling for him and when he noticed, he awkwardly knocked his own head and sat down.

"Back to the subject, Kenji…" Ikutsuki said. "Is there anything you wanted to ask me?"

Kenji paused for a long moment as he was thinking about something to ask, then he simply answered he didn't.

"…Are you sure…?" Ikutsuki asked. Kenji felt a chill running down his spine: there was something shady in that man's eyes, something he didn't like at all!

"Well forget about my question then. I hope you all will have a successful school year. Now if you excuse me…" The chairman said before getting up from his seat and taking his leave.

**04/09/09**

The whole day went normally for all the four girls and nothing strange occurred… until that night…

Miyuki suddenly felt some unexpected panic that caused her to wake up in the middle of night. Strange, she usually was one to not have sleeping trouble but this time, it was as her slumber suddenly disappeared as a strong anxiety took its place, making her feel as if something terrible was about to occur. Quietly, she walked to her room window and opened the curtain to take a look outside. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked: the sky was of a strange green hue, something similar to blood covered the streets here and there and there were a few vertical black coffins scattered around, which looked like emanating a reddish aura.

"W…what is this?!" She breathed, her anxiety getting bigger and bigger. She then took a look at the full moon: its pale green glare made the whole scenario even more unsettling.

"Don't let fear to overcome you." A male voice at her back whispered, causing Miyuki to jolt. She turned around and saw a mysterious man wearing glasses and a trenchcoat.

"Please, don't scream. I'm not here to harm you, rather, I'm here to help you and your friends." He quietly said to calm her down.

"W…who are you?" she stuttered "How did you get here?"

"That's a moot point now. What matters now is this…" he said as he placed a hand on the window. "Focus… can you feel anything?"

Miyuki placed both hands to her chest and closed her eyes. She felt like something surging from inside her, as she could clearly picture some strange black creatures in her mind.

"I see…" she mechanically said with a voice which didn't even sound like hers. " I feel strange… it's as if something inside me could make me see things I couldn't see before… sense them…"

"That's it" the man whispered as he placed his hand on Miyuki's shoulder and interrupting her trance-like state. "That is your power… a power only you have."

"My…power… but what…?" she murmured, still confused.

"I'll tell you everything, but later…" he answered. "Now we must get your friends and leave this place. It will soon become too dangerous…"

The two of them then rushed to wake Konata, Tsukasa and Kagami up. Once they were all awake, they all hid inside the Hiiragi sisters' room, which was the largest. Konata recognized the greenish shade around them, since it was the very same she saw when she first arrived at the dorm.

"We don't have much time, so I'll just brief you about the current situation" the man with glasses said. "What you see around you is the result of a hidden hour."

"Hidden hour…?" Tsukasa asked, still groggy.

The man nodded. "Normally, people wouldn't notice it. Have you noticed those coffins on the streets? Those are actually people… they sleep inside those as long as this… hidden hour lasts."

"I don't get it…" Kagami frowned, crossing her arms. "why didn't we transform into those?"

"I'm not sure… it might be because of your…abilities…" the man said with a slight smile.

"Hey, I know!" Konata interrupted, looking at the man with a mischievous expression. "Maybe those who won't become coffins have some nifty super power that allows'em to get inside this hidden hour!"

This last remark caused everyone to stare at her with a doubtful look, save for the man, who almost looked pleased.

"As whacky as it sounds, it is quite correct!" he explained. "Besides, it's during this hour that 'those things' appear."

Miyuki suddenly felt a chill. She wondered if the man meant those creatures she saw in her weird trance state.

Konata nodded. "I see! Those things are a dangerous enemy and are to be stopped, right? So you're planning to get us because you want us to become a super special team to fight them and save the world??"

"Please, be realistic…" Kagami muttered.

"This whole thing is not realistic to start with, so why bother?" Konata replied, amused.

"Actually, there already is a special team fighting them… you should know them, since they're your schoolmates who live in this dorm…" Rei continued with his explanation.

This late sentence caused the four girls to be quite surprised. But it all suddenly made sense: of course it wasn't an ordinary dorm, it was meant to host members for that special team!

"And you're here to scout us for us to join that team?" Tsukasa asked, trying to make a sense to the whole thing. The man shook his head, looking all serious.

"…then what do you want with us?" Kagami asked, finding the man quite suspicious.

"…I'll explain better once we get out of here… but first…" he said, placing a hand over his right ear. Then, as if he was talking on a communicator. "Kumiko-Kun, you hear me? I recovered the girls. What's the situation out there?"

"Please hurry and get out of there, Rei-Sensei!" Kumiko's voice could be heard from the communicator. She sounded like being quite tense "They're coming here at full force… and one of them is huge! The likes you don't see often…!!"

Rei frowned. "'Coming here at full force'? What do you mean by that…?"

"It's SEES…" she replied. "One of them is being chased and the big guy is following him here! I hate to say this, but… at this rate…!"

"…Kumiko-Kun! Draw their attention and prevent them from approaching us… keep them busy, but ignore the big one!" Rei ordered, keeping himself cool-headed.

"…Sensei?!" The girl seemed quite surprised by that order.

The man simply smirked. "Don't worry. I have a hunch that he'll be taken care of. You just focus on given orders, as you always do…" then, when the contact was done, he started to search inside his trenchcoat.

"It's true…" Miyuki said as she focused. "There are things I never seen before coming this way. Although I never saw them, I KNOW it's them…"

"Hey, I thought you said that those guys were supposed to protect us!!" Kagami snapped. "Who's the idiot who's luring those things there?!"

While this was happening, a familiar-looking silver-haired guy with a red waistcoat sneezed. He then shrugged and kept on running to the dorm while clenching his aching ribs.

Finally, Rei pulled some equipment out and delivered it to the girls; except for Miyuki, he gave Konata, Kagami and Tsukasa a different weapon: Konata received a short sword, Kagami received A small machinegun and Tsukasa a crossbow.

"W…whoa, whoa! Hey… what is this?!" Kagami stuttered, since the whole fact of wielding a weapon made her quite scared, unlike Konata, who was admiring her sword, her eyes sparkling with joy.

"It's just to be ready for any eventuality. There's a chance we might be involved in some fighting." Rei coldly stated.

"Y…you got to be kidding me!!" Kagami cried as Tsukasa gripped her arm. The whole situation was getting way out of hang!

Then Rei threw another object to the girls: it was a grey thing, similar to an old joystick, with a polished blue button in the middle. When the girls asked what it was, the man smirked, but before he had time to explain, the ground started shaking as some loud thuds were here from outside.

"W…what's going on here?!" Tsukasa cried as she hugged her sister.

"Damn… there's no more time!" Rei cursed and opened the window. Then, he cued the girls to hold him tightly and they all jumped down.

The golden blades of Kumiko's chakrams swirled and slashed the shadow's slimish body in two halves as the creature dissolved in a black-reddish cloud. But she had no time to relax, for another wave of them was on the way.

Wiping the sweat off her chin, she swiftly glimpsed at the biggest of them, which was walking away from the pack, as if its attention was caught by something else.

_Crap… what are you doing, Sensei?! _She thought, her grip on her twin chakrams tightening. She then shook her head and intensely looked at the shadows around her.

"That's OK… I'll behave myself and comply this time…" she said to herself, her voice as sharp as an ice dagger. She then dashed to the shadows, killing them one by one in a deadly, yet graceful death ballet.

Then, something was caught in the corner of her eye: she noticed two SEES members, Mitsuru and Akihiko, who were as busy as her fighting those critters and she unconsciously smiled.

She then noticed something wrong in the silver-haired one's movements… he looked like being slowed down by something and being unable to move as swiftly as her. Seeing that he was about to be mauled by a shadow, Kumiko hurled one of her bladed rings to it, killing it with a single blow.

Instantly, the guy faced her and smirked. "Meh… you're the last person I'd like aid from… but your timing is as good as always…Fukuyama." He said between light breaths.

Kumiko just shrugged. "I just figured out you might need some help, especially given your condition, Sanada."

"Pf… so you noticed…" he replied with a grimace.

"Regardless" Mitsuru added with a slight smile. "Your help in such a circumstance is welcome, Fukuyama."

Kumiko nodded and the three of them charged to the shadows.

"S…sis! I can't keep it up anymore!" Tsukasa cried, totally out of breath.

"Please, try and hold on just a little longer! We're almost there!" Rei shouted at his back.

"…I…I…I can't!!" The little girl said before falling on her knees.

Immediately, everyone rushed to her, who was unable to move, due to exhaustion.

Rei knew that reaching the hotel had priority, but he couldn't force Tsukasa to keep on running neither, so decided to rest for a few minutes.

Unfortunately, their rest didn't last long, since Miyuki suddenly felt something approaching. Before they knew, they were all surrounded by a group of four shadows, who crawled to them after appearing from the red pools on the floor.

As the four girls pressed together, Rei instinctively drew his small daggers out; he then halted himself. _These are nothing for me, but…if I defeat them now… I'll never give chance for these girls' power to sprout!_

"H…hey, what are we to do…?!" Kagami stuttered, under her breath.

"Well, how does it look to you? We gotta defeat'em, duh!" Konata replied while clenching the hilt of her sword as she grinned.

"H…hey!!" The girl with pigtails cried as her friend dashed to the closest shadow.

Instantly, the small girl started to slash the shadow repeatedly.

Meanwhile, Miyuki kept on focusing on the shadow; as she felt like plunging in the same trance-like status, she felt a great source of energy being released from her body as she saw a big faced book materializing in front of her.

"_I am Personomicon, the book of absolute knowledge. Through my mind and your eyes, we shall reveal what truth is…" _The book pronounced through Miyuki's soul.

"Per…so…nomicon…?" Miyuki mechanically muttered as the book opened. Both Kagami and Tsukasa were unable to understand what that strange thing was as Rei smiled, satisfied.

"Hey, what are you doing?! Give me a hand!!" Konata yelled, causing the Hiiragi sisters to snap out of their awe and point their weapons at the shadows. Unfortunately they both missed the target and it was quite close that Tsukasa pierced Konata with one of her arrows, causing the girl to fall down.

"WHOA!! Hey, you could kill me!!" Konata said as she sat on the ground.

The shadows took advantage of the situation and released some small pillars of energy that blasted the three girls away, while Miyuki was clinging to Rei.

"E…EVERYONE…!!" Miyuki gasped as the blast was cleared and her three friends were still stunned on the floor.

Konata was the first to rise up on her knees. "I'm fine, Yuki-Chan… a bit bruised, maybe, but nothing to it!" she said as she thumbed up.

Then Tsukasa tried and rose up, but she was halted by a shadow right in front of her. Startled, she floundered to grab her weapon or whatever could be sharp enough to use and grabbed the weird joystick-like thing Rei gave her instead. Right when the shadow was about to attack her, she let herself go to a scream and instinctively pressed the blue button. As soon as she did it, beads of blueish energy started to flow around Tsukasa as she felt a warm energy surging from her body and separating itself from her, into the shape of something similar to a bottle.

"_I am Balshemikos, bearer of bitterness and sweetness. You, who generated me, feel free to wear me as your armor…" _The bottle said as it opened its cap and caused a strong wind to wipe the shadow away.

Kagami looked even more confused. "…T…Tsukasa too?! Hey, what's going on here?!"

But Rei didn't answer, he just kept on smirking.

Konata promptly grabbed the joystick. "I don't know what this is about but… I think I understand what these…joysticks are! Come on, let's do it!!"

With that Konata closed her eyes, her smile broadening and pressed the blue button. Just like Tsukasa, she was engulfed by blueish energy beads as a warm power inside her separated from her. This time, with the shape of a round catlike odd creature which had the very same hair Konata had.

"_I am Nekonata, part of you, just like you're part of me. That's all that there is to say, actually…"_ The odd creature said as he started shooting a pink beam from its mouth, smouldering another shadow.

"Oooh, the heck! Whatever!!" Kagami said before taking a deep breath and pressing the button. The energy from her body took the shape of a familiar-looking rodent with big eyes and, a red tie bow and a green bowler. But this time, the summoned being didn't talk, it only said "FUMOFFU!!" before smiting the last shadow left with its heavy machinegun.

As soon as all the shadows were destroyed, the summoned beings vanished into thin air, leaving the girls a bit dazed.

Behind them, Rei started to clap his hands, satisfied. "That battle went even smoother than expected… you managed to trigger your potential sooner than expected!"

"Rei-San… what just happened? What were those things?" Miyuki asked, a bit dizzy.

Rei was about to explain, but a beeping sound from his communicator caused him to focus on something else. He swiftly answered.

"Sensei, all minor shadows around the dorm have been taken care of, but… there's still the big one to deal with!" Kumiko said through the communicator.

"That shadow is not of our concern. Be on standby and wait for further orders." He said.

"How are things on your hand?"

"Great. The girls are OK… and… they're all Persona-users, as to be expected. We're headed to Kotobuki Hotel right now."

While Rei was having this conversation through the communicator, Miyuki seemed to sense something else. Immediately, she checked through Personomicon's eyes and started to check.

"…Rei-San!" she gasped. "I'm picking up something else!"

"Is it one of those things?!" Kagami asked as she clenched her fists.

"N…no… it's… different… it's a human! And he's at Port station…"

Rei nodded. "Kumiko-Kun, you heard it? I'm taking the girls to Kotobuki Hotel. You go to Port Station and help this person!" _If my insight is right, then this person must be…_

Before leaving for Kotobuki, Rei took a final glance to the dorm at distance, and noticed another clash between a gigantic shadow with many limbs and a black creature with coffins all around.

"Thanatos, huh… nice Persona…" he muttered with a smirk.

As soon as she ended the communication, Kumiko started to run towards Port station. The battle was long, but being just a few minor shadows, she still had much of her stamina.

Suddenly, she felt an incredible flow of dark power which caused her heart to jolt from inside her chest: the very same dark energy she could feel in her dreams was close, really close. She stopped running and faced the dorm, where she felt the energy come from.

"Kumiko-Kun!" she heard from the communicator. "Why did you stop? Are you alright?"

"Ah…no, I'm fine… it was just… a chill." She answered, trying to sound calm, before resuming her run to the port.

As soon as she arrived there, she could see a young boy running madly through the red-stained streets: he was wearing a sleeveless brown jacked over a white shirt and light brown pants; he had unkept black hair and his eyes, of the same hue Kumiko had, were desperately looking around to find a place to hide.

He then found a small alley and hid there, hoping those black things couldn't find him; he couldn't hear them moving… he heard nothing… safe for his light, shallow breaths and the rumble that was his thumping heart.

Then, seeing that no weird thing was jumping out, he left out a sigh of relief.

But as soon as he got out of the small alley, he felt something black and viscid fall on his left shoulder. Immediately he stretched a hand to it and looked up, just to choke when he saw one of the black things chasing him, which was about to assault him. Promptly, he flung himself aside, avoiding the assault, but saw many others coming at him. The boy frantically rocked his head back and forth, unable to find a way out. Then, when a shadow jumped at him, he squeezed his eyes shut, thinking for the worst…

The blow was never delivered, for someone sliced the creature to death with some sharp, circular weapon. The boy opened his eyes to see a dark-haired girl slicing the shadows as much as they came. After about a minute, it appeared there were no shadows around, so Kumiko sighed in relief.

The girl put her chakrams away and walked to the boy.

"That was a close one, wasn't it?" she asked, stretching her hand to him. The boy just stared at her, unable to say a word. Kumiko was starting to wonder about him becoming one of The Lost…

Then, all of the sudden, the boy left out a sharp scream and slipped backward in the outmost shock.

Kumiko tried many times to make him reason, but he just kept on screaming and pushing her away. When she had enough of his hysterics, she grabbed him and placed a vigorous hand over his mouth.

"I have to words for you, boy: SHUT UP!" she said, gazing at him with an ice-cold, piercing stare which hushed him. "Now… if I remove this from your hand, will you be quiet?"

The boy looked at her and nodded.

"Alright then…" she said as she released the boy's mouth.

"Holy shit… holy shit, holy shit… HOLY SHIT! What…WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?! I was there…. And now all of the sudden I'm here… and… there were these black things who wanted to harm me, I kept on running and running and running and running…"

Kumiko placed a hand on his mouth again. "OK, OK… I didn't ask for your life's story! Now calm down and come with me."

The boy frantically removed himself from her grasp and stepped back. "Wait a sec… how can I be sure you're not in league with those THINGS?!"

Kumiko jolted. "Wha… I just saved your LIFE!"

"Well it might be all a setup!"

None of them noticed that their yelling was causing more shadows to appear around them… and when they noticed, they both jolted.

"Well done, kid… look where your screaming brought you to!" Kumiko muttered as she drew her chakrams.

"AH! Now it's MY FAULT!!" The boy complained on the verge of tears.

"Shut up, now!... I must concentrate now…" Kumiko coldly stated as she looked around. She then dropped her left chakram and started to focus on her glove.

She then smirked as she stretched her left arm, the hand almost glowing as she slowly spoke.

"…Come to me, Yamatano-Orochi!"

As soon as those words were uttered, she stretched her hand wide open as blue energy surged from her, taking the shape of a gigantic eight-headed serpent. Each head opened its mouth and released ice energy on each of the shadows, literally freezing them. After that, Kumiko dashed and delivered them the finishing blows.

Once the battle was over, the girl was starting to feel exhaustion, as her eyesight started to blur and she felt dizzy.

The boy was still there, shaking in fear after watching the whole scene.

"I…I can't believe it…" he stuttered on the verge of tears. "It's just like a TV show… monsters appearing from nowhere and a girl summoning a giant snake… WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?! WILL YOU EXPLAIN ME ONCE AND FOR ALL?!"

After snapping a final time, the boy's mind seemed to be too exhausted as he felt light-headed and passed out a few instants later. Although exhausted, Kumiko slowly walked to the boy and looked at him.

"Well… at least you'll stay put for a while…" she weakly chuckled.

She then bent over to carry him on her shoulders. She was very tired and he felt much heavier, but she managed to pull it out, somehow, although seeing was much more difficult.

As she tried to climb up the staircases to the main plaza of the port station, she bumped into something which caused her to fall down the staircase and drop the poor boy. Slowly, she raised her gaze to find herself in front of a menacing-looking man with mid-long brown hair: this person was wearing a heavy-looking dark red and black coat over a dark shirt and black pants; he also wore cowboy-like boots and a black beanie, this one almost covering his eyes, thus making him look even more menacing. The man coldly stared at her and the boy, promising nothing good…

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!! **

**Konata: **On the next episode of PERUSURI…

**Kagami: **Whoa, whoa! That won't do! This is a psychological-feeling tale!

**Konata: **Oh, right… like in those introspective anime?

**Kumiko: **Tainted green moon… forgotten memories… a reason to fight for…

**Shinn: **…a boat horn: BOOOOOOOOOOOORE!

**Konata: **You're not telling absolutely nothing about the next episode!

**Kagami: **…Think you can do better than this?

**Konata: **Leave it to me… on the next episode of PERUSURI, a new special team, akin to SEES but unrelated to them is BORN!

**Tsukasa: **We will explore the big tower… um… what was the name? We will explore it…and then an intense mission where we get a new comrade!

**Konata: **A hint: he's cool, he's a womanizer and he's voiced by Akira Ishida!

**Kenji: **_Watches a pretty butterfly and then looks around _Me?...me…is it me??

**Akihiko: **A rival group, huh? Heheh, now I really do feel motivated! crocks his knuckles

**Rei: **Or is it why Shinji is introduced in the next chapter?

**Akihiko: **…shut up!!

**Junpei: **A group with all those pretty Senpai?? Hey, mind if I join??

**Yukari: **Is that all you can think about? Sheesh…

**Junpei: **…well at least Kona-Chan is nice at me… . ;

**Miyuki: **So feel free to read and review. Your opinions are always welcome by the authoress!

**Mitsuru: **But flamers shall be… EXECUTED!

**Kumiko: **See you in the next chapter of SMT: PS! You DON'T want to miss it!

**BLUE VELVET: The PeruSuri trivia channel: Ep.1 **

**Elizabeth: **Good day you all and welcome to the very first episode of Blue Velvet. I am Elizabeth, your host, and this is my… er… hey, where's Maxwell?

**Igor: **_From afar _Ah, the young one? I think he forgot the key for this room… again…

**Elizabeth: **Oh goodness… what am I going to do with that guy… _Shakes her head_

**Igor: **Let him be… being young and scatter-brained is typical of people like him.

**Elizabeth: **Whatever… I think Maxwell will be introduced to you in episode 2… anyway, in this small corner the authoress granted us, we are to check trivia, outtakes and hilarious omake about the whacky world of PeruSuri. Of course, we also take care of things you, the readers, would like to see as trivia, outtakes omake… so be sure to send your requests! The authoress could be interested and put them into the next fan fiction instalments… or maybe not! So, anyway… _Takes a pamphlet out _This is not the first crossover fic idea the authoress had for the Persona 3 universe. She was also, since she's such a Super Robot Wars fan, to make a SRW/P3 crossover. So, here's a small scene from her idea.

**SuPersona Wars 3 outtake: **We see Aigis walking towards the Gekkoukan high school entrance as Ryusei Date walks to her, holding a bouquet.

"I love you, Aigis… mine was love at first sight… please answer my feelings or I will die of sorrow!" he says

Aigis stares at him, without blinking. "I do not compute." She answers.

Behind Ryusei, two auras appear, menacing: they belong to his fangirls Mai Kobayashi and Latooni Subota, who look really ticked off at him flirting with the cyber girl and proceed in beating him into a pulp. Watching this, Kenji shudders, saying: "Oh crap… it could have been me!!"

**Elizabeth: **Not half bad… in any case, this is the final idea she thought for a crossover fan fiction involving P3. Well, today's episode was just a pretext to say hello, we'll be back next chapter with more stuff for you to see… so be sure to send suggestions and requests! Well, we look forward for the next time. And now, instead of bidding you farewell in a typical way, I'll do it in a trend I've heard being used by the authoress: later days! Hmm, it has a nice sound… yeah, later days!


	3. Chapter 2: Glimmer of truth

CHAPTER 2: Glimmer of truth

_**CHAPTER 2: Glimmer of truth**_

Kumiko gathered all the strength she could muster in order to get up; she was exhausted due to the long fight against shadows and the latter use of her Persona and just standing up was incredibly difficult to her. Yet, she wasn't willing to show any sign of weakness to this shady-looking person. _He didn't transmogrify… just… who is this guy?!_

"…Just who the hell are you, girl? And… don't you know this place is dangerous for someone like you?" He muttered to her as he stared her, menacing and unsettling eyes almost piercing her.

Kumiko didn't reply, but she returned the very same stare; the whole place seemed like being surrounded by cold and tense air.

"…I see… you must be an user as well…" both his voice and eyes softened for some reason, as his mind seemed miles away. "…still, you don't seem one of them…"

Taking advantage of it, Kumiko bent over the mysterious unconscious boy, but the red-coated man stopped her by pointing a gun at her and ordered her to not move. The girl didn't flinch, she just stared at him, coldly.

Noticing that, the man lowered his gun and looked at her, silent. After some instants, he said: "You don't seem to be afraid despite the risky situation you're in…"

Kumiko smirked. "I barely have strength to move, let alone be afraid…"

"…aren't you afraid of dying…? Why is that?" He asked, tilting his head.

"…I don't know… maybe because there's ultimately nothing to lose about it." She said with a grim smile.

At that remark, the man put the gun back in his red coat and turned around as he shook his head. "If you think such a bullshit, you'll never accomplish a thing."

"What…?"

"You have only one life… and it's yours only…" the man said as he took off, smiling sadly. "…just don't waste it like I did."

Kumiko just stood there, watching that threatening-looking man walking away. _He looked like being about to hurt me and yet… who is he? And why do I feel like knowing him already…? _

A moaning sound from the unconscious boy caused her mind to snap: she completely forgot about him for a moment! Immediately she bent over to carry him, but her strength was fading quickly as he seemed heavier than lead. _Not good…and home is still far from here…going back alone won't be a problem but I have to carry him as well… I'm never going to make it… but if we stay here, we could be attacked anytime… _

Then a low and confident voice boomed at her back. "This is the problem with you. You fling yourself into the action, without thinking about the consequences…"

Kumiko turned towards the direction the voice came from and noticed a man with glasses and a trenchcoat, sitting on the upper railing.

"Rei-Sensei! When did you get here?" She asked.

"I just arrived." He shrugged. "I figured something like this might have happened to you, so I made sure to come and get you once I was done with my business."

"Very funny…" she grimaced. "What about them?"

"Ah, the girls? They're all fine. Right now they're resting in their quarters at Kotobuki Hotel. It must have been a rough night for them… and you as well."

Kumiko puffed. "Meh, I'm not as helpless as you think! But most important… this boy…"

Rei jumped off the railing and walked over to examine the youth. Although he looked cold outside, he was quite surprised inside, as he recognized the boy's face. _Well what do you know…a castaway from another world!… wonder if it's related to the time-space anomaly in this place…_

"Do you know this boy, Sensei?"

"…as a matter of fact, you could as well say that I do. But let's save it for another time. Most important, this boy needs to rest. I'll make sure to take him to Tatsumi Memorial Hospital after accompanying you back home. I don't think it's wise forcing an exhausted girl to walk the dark streets by herself…"

"My, my, Sensei." Kumiko smirked. "Are you always so gallant or am I lucky?"

**04/10/09**

Right after the class being over, Kumiko was told by Rei to come to the hospital immediately, since the boy she rescued just regained consciousness; immediately, she packed her stuff and headed over there. Right outside the boy's room, she ran into Rei who was just done talking to a nurse. They stayed a few minutes outside, talking about him.

"So… his name is… Shinn Asuka?" Kumiko asked, cupping her chin.

"Yes. According to the nurse here, it's the only non vague information about himself he could give us." Rei quietly nodded. "It appears he's still shocked about what happened."

"…vague information? What about it?" The girl inquired.

"Mostly about him being surrounded by a greenish light and then suddenly finding himself in Port Station. But his memories are all fuzzy." The man continued.

_Makes sense his memories are fuzzy… _She mused. _It's what happens when you don't have the "potential" and find yourself during the Dark Hour…_

"When this boy first opened his eyes, he stayed a good deal of time staring at the wall, without saying a word" The nurse said, concerned. "We were worried about him being yet another Apathy Syndrome victim… but when we asked for his name and he told us, we sighed in relief. There are so many of them coming here lately…"

"…can we go and see him?" Rei asked.

"Sure, go ahead…" the nurse replied. "But don't ask him too hard questions, he still seems being confused."

The two entered inside the hospital room: they saw the boy, Shinn, hugging his knees on the bed as he stared ahead, blankly. He was wearing a light blue vest gown, just like the other patients inside the hospital and he was holding something in his right hand: a pink cellular phone. Both Rei and Kumiko felt a strong depressing aura around the boy and decided to be cautious in approaching him.

"Hello, Shinn. I'm glad to see you're OK now. You might not recognize me, but I'm the one who brought you here when you collapsed. My name is Rei, Rei Kurohagane."

Shinn slowly tilted his head to face Rei. "Did…I collapse? I don't remember…" he said, weakly.

Rei knelt next to the bed. "What do you remember then?"

"…it all feels like I had a long dream… I was in a place I never was before, the sky having a strange color… these…THINGS… chasing me… and…"

The boy slowly looked around and then his eyes stopped on Kumiko. As soon as he saw the girl, Shinn's eyes widened as he fell from the bed with a scream, causing her and the man to blink. He then grabbed the bed sheets, his head and arms appearing from under the hospital bed.

"It-it-IT'S YOU!!" He cried, pointing at Kumiko, who was pointing at herself, confused.

"Er… what did I do?" She asked.

"YOU!! You're the girl I saw in that dream!! You appeared from nowhere and then this giant snake appeared… and…" He screamed as he suddenly felt light-headed, being hard for him to remember everything.

Rei just stood there and stared at the upset kid. "It wasn't just a dream." He said, causing Shinn to jolt.

The nurse tried and make Shinn go to back to bed, but he angrily shrugged her off. "I'm fine! What do you mean with not just a dream…?!"

"…this is not the time nor the place to talk about such a delicate thing." Rei answered as he searched in his coat. "Besides, you're still recovering from fatigue. The doctor said that your physical conditions are OK, but for today you should just rest here. Tomorrow you'll be free to leave the hospital. Once you do, I want you to get to this address and search for us." With that, the man gave Shinn a small map with a circle around a certain address and the road he had to take to reach Kotobuki Hotel.

"Well I don't have much choice now, do I?" Shinn replied, bitter. "Fine, I'll stay put for today, but tomorrow, once I get better, I want an ACCURATE explanation!"

Rei didn't reply. He just nodded with a slight smile before he left the hospital room, Kumiko in his tow.

**04/11/09**

The sun was setting down as even that day was coming to an end. Much of Konata and the other's joy, Rei took care of all the transfer issues for the four girls and already managed to move all their possessions from the dorm to the hotel and they all received their own room to use at their own disposition; it appeared money wasn't a problem to him since the place seemed to be entrusted to him.

It was about evening, when Rei called them all in the lobby to talk about something. They were quite surprised to see Kumiko there as well; Tsukasa asked her if she had a room in the hotel herself, but she answered that she lived by the shrine, not too far away from there.

"I see…" Miyuki mused. "You're the one who helped guarding the dorm as we escaped two day ago. Thank you, Fukuyama-San."

"I'm just glad you're alright." She said, blushing.

"Talking about that night… man, it was crazy!" Kagami said, sighing.

"I thought we were all going to die…" Tsukasa continued, pretty down.

"Really?" Konata replied nonchalantly. "I thought it was pretty intriguing!"

Kagami didn't say a word, she just threw an angry stare at Konata.

"Anyway, Fukuyama-San. Do you know what Kurohagane-San is going to tell us?" Miyuki asked. "Do you think it's related to what happened back then?"

Before Kumiko had the chance to answer, the front door opened as Rei stepped in. He then gestured someone to come in; it took him a while, but finally, that someone managed to overcome his embarrassment and walked in. The five girls were quite surprised at the sight: a young boy with black hair and scarlet eyes wearing the Gekkoukan High School boys' uniform. They all, even Kumiko, thought he was pretty cute wearing it.

Rei gestured to the boy, who smiled at them with a slight blush. "This is Shinn Asuka. He too will stay at the hotel with us and… starting from tomorrow, he will attend your school as a 2nd year student."

"Oh, I see you fully recovered." Kumiko said softly with a slight smile

Shinn nodded. "Um, about last night…"

"I'm sure you all have many questions about it. Please, sit down." Rei said as he sat himself

Once they were all sitting at the table, Rei looked around and cleared his voice.

"I think you all already figured it out by now, but the day doesn't consist just in 24 hours. As a matter of fact, there's a hidden hour occurring every night at midnight, in-between a day and another: the Dark Hour."

"Wait!" Shinn interrupted. "…do you really think I could buy such a thing?"

Rei didn't say a word. He stared at Shinn, pausing for a moment and then kept on his explanation. "…I'm sure you noticed strange things around you during that time. No streetlight or electronic device working, the sky color… the coffins around the city…"

Shinn felt a chill. _So that's why my communicator wasn't working…_ "Y…yeah, I noticed… it was all so strange… it really scared me! Are you saying I didn't imagine that?"

"If you did" Kumiko quietly replied. "that would apply to these ones as well. And I think you remember quite clearly what happened… right, everyone?"

The four girls all nodded, as Konata added: "So THAT'S why my game was no longer working all of the sudden!"

"Yes. It appears Kona-Chan wasn't lying after all… right, sis?" Tsukasa said, smiling to Kagami.

"…um…right…" Kagami muttered, swaying her gaze. "So you say it happens every night?"

"Right. Although normal people don't notice anything as they're all transmogrified into coffins… of course, there are exceptions, like us. And I think Rei-Sensei already told you this" Kumiko answered. "…but it's during the Dark Hour that there are these dark creatures roaming around: the shadows."

"Ah, those!" Konata said with a chuckle. "Yeah, yeah, we met'em! Man, that was quite a battle! I still don't know how we managed to win, though…"

After hearing it, Rei took one of the weird joysticks the girls used during the battle with the shadows and placed it on the table. "Remember when you used this device? When you pressed the button on it, you felt a strange energy taking different shapes from each one of you, right? That's the proof you have what it takes to fight those shadows: an inner power known as 'Persona'."

"Persona…" Miyuki verbalized her thoughts. "A Latin word meaning 'mask'… you mean we have the potential to summon 'masks' which can protect us from harm, right?"

"And not just you… even the kids at the dorm you came from have such a power… and… that applies to Kumiko-Kun here too."

Konata jumped on her feet as she stared at Kumiko. "Wow! You don't just draw cool Doujinshi, you fight shadows too?! You're SO cool!!"

Kumiko just let out a shy chuckle as she blushed.

"But… when I saw her summoning that big snake… she wasn't using that device, so…how…" Shinn asked, still doubtful about the whole situation.

Seeing that, Kumiko showed everyone the ancient-looking glove she was wearing on her left hand. "You see the symbol embedded on this old glove? This old artefact is known as Kamen no Fuuin, or, the Seal of Mask. It works as a contact between myself and my hidden part, and allows me to release it from my body. Some sort of ancient Evoker bestowed upon my family since ancient times."

Rei interrupted her to explain. "The 'Evoker' you used works in a similar way. You see. By pressing the button on it, you unlock the deepest reaches of your own souls, allowing you to release your inner selves."

Kagami looked quite perplexed by the explanation and the Evoker. "I still think it's kinda whacky… using a joystick to summon an ethereal being…"

Kumiko chuckled. "…well, the Evoker most of Persona-users harness is even weirder if you ask." She said, causing Shinn and the girls to blink.

"Anyway" Kagami interrupted as she pushed Konata back in a sitting position. "You said that those guys back in the dorm… that is, Sanada, Mitsuru-San and Takeba… have the potential too… and if I recall correctly, you also said they're a special squad with the task of fighting shadows… what about it?"

Rei nodded. "They're known as the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad; SEES for short. It's a group bearing the task of defeating the shadows and making the Dark Hour disappear… or, at least that's what they think…"

"What do you mean 'that's what they think'?" Miyuki asked. Instead of answering, Rei frowned for a moment, as if something was bothering him. "Something wrong?" The cute girl with glasses asked again.

"First thing first, there's still no real proof that vanquishing all the shadows will solve the problem. In order to erase the Dark Hour, one must first fully understand what truly happened when it first appeared, ten years ago… besides…" He said as his voiced became more concerned as he spoke. Seeing that the young ones were all worried, he then said it was nothing.

Shinn crossed his arms, gazing at Rei with suspecting face. "You sure know a good deal… how are you able to?"

Rei didn't flinch. He simply cupped his chin with a slight smile. "Me? I first came here to find some relaxing and not too hard minor job to do so to kill time… but when I came here, I noticed that something was terribly wrong and that time was gravely altered. Since a group was already focused on unveiling the current situation, I was planning to stay back and watch… but… there was something bothering me…"

Konata snapped her fingers. "…so you decided to make a contact with Kumiko-Chan, who's a Persona-user, in order to understand more of it?"

Rei patted Kumiko's shoulder, much of her embarrassment. "Actually it's the other way around: it was Kumiko-Kun the one who contacted me…" he replied. "I've been knowing her since she started attending high school. She's a good-natured girl and an excellent fighter… (Not to mention her non H Doujinshis are even more famous than expected.)… there's just so much she can do… so I made a bet with myself: I decided to search for more Persona-users like her to make a new group, one that could focus itself on the truth solely."

Miyuki winced. "Now I see! You're the one behind our mysterious transfer in this city… you called us because you KNEW we all had the potential!"

Rei shook his head as his smile broadened. "I never knew about you being Persona-users. I just took a wild guess basing myself on… something like a hunch about you being fighters." _…it appears things here aren't much different from that other reality after all… I was pretty sure of the results, but not this far!…_ "Things went quite smoothly, so there's no point in complaining, I guess."

A long minute of silence followed after, as the four girls and Shinn were musing about the whole twist of events. No one of them expected such a story and to be summoned in this city with such a hidden goal. After completing his explanation, Rei simply sat on the couch, looking at the girls.

"It must have been all so sudden for you… and I realize I dragged you into this mess against your will… but I just wanted you to know about this whole situation and then decide… I can understand if you'll—"

Konata interrupted him abruptly by jumping up on her feet and raising a hand with a decisive smile. "OK, count me in!!"

Both Kagami and Tsukasa jolted at that. "Wait a second…" Kagami said, quite upset. "Are you sure you can decide such a delicate thing so fast?!"

The small girl nodded, proud. "In other words you want us to become heroes who will save this city, right? Sounds sweet! I'm so doing it!… and besides… look at Yuki-Chan: she already decided to herself!"

The twins gazed at Miyuki: there was some sort of fire burning in her eyes; you could easily she wanted to do everything in her power to settle things. "I… for the first time in my life… I felt I could really do something good for people… that I have the power to do things for the best… please, let me join, I want to help you!"

"Miyuki too?" Kagami muttered, narrow-eyed. "I'm not sure you girls realize how dangerous this might be…"

Tsukasa thought for a moment, and after a few seconds she said: "It's true it's dangerous… but I think that's a good reason to not let them go through this by themselves… I mean… umm… they're our friends after all!"

Kagami shook her head, hopeless. "You're all hopeless… throwing yourselves into such a mess… but, I guess I'd feel bad letting you go through all the danger by yourselves!"

"Sis!! So you will…" Tsukasa asked, smiling

"Hehehe, I knew you would have done it, Kagamin!" Konata chuckled.

"I…I'm just doing this because I hate the idea of putting Tsukasa and Miyuki in danger!" Kagami spat as she blushed violently. "Don't start thinking I care about you being in trouble…!"

Rei looked at the four girls. "You mean you're all going to join? That's great." He then faced Shinn. "What about you, boy? You heard the story as you asked, now what's your decision?"

Shinn was staring at the floor, clenching his hands: he was at loss, maybe even more than the quartet.

"…what do you expect me to do? This all sounds so ridiculous to me!… and besides, there's absolutely no proof I have that Persona power you babble about!"

"…you didn't transmogrify into a coffin. That means the chance of you having that potential DOES exist!" Rei answered.

"I don't understand…" he mumbled, his grip tightening. "…what am I to do? And… what does it have to do with me?…I…"

Kumiko sat next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to decide right away. After all, your potential didn't awake yet. Take your time until then by sticking with us, think, and then decide…" then, to Konata and the others. "As for you, I truly appreciate your cooperation. I hope we can get along."

With that, the girl bowed. Konata noticed and stopped her. "Hey-hey! You don't have to be so formal with us! We're teammates now… so, why don't you try and act a bit like this?" she said before putting a cap on and then she started imitating Junpei's speech, causing her friends and Kumiko to laugh. For the first time in a while, the blue-dressed girl realized she could really trust in her peers, something that was bothering her since she heard about having new teammates. But not anymore: her comrades were all friendly and nice.

"Perfect…" Rei proudly stated. "It appears we have enough members to—"

Konata interrupted. "Rei-San! Does the team have a name?? You can't have a real team if it doesn't have one…"

Rei then proposed the teammembers themselves to decide a fitting name. Thus, a discussion about it started. Konata proposed many names: Anti-Shadow Corporation, Non-SEES, Shadowbusters… even anime/game-related names such as SOS Team, Alpha Numbers and Londo Bell. But no one seemed to like any of them, and Kagami refused to use some cheap name from a show. Tsukasa then proposed something related to light like Hikari or Lux.

Miyuki had a great idea for a name then: "What about calling it Kagayaku?"

"Kagayaku…" Kumiko mused "the glimmer of truth in a sea of darkness, hmm? Yeah, I like it."

"Me too!" Tsukasa nodded. "It makes such a nice sound!"

"Yeah, I think it fits." Kagami agreed.

Konata crossed her arms and nodded. "…although I preferred Londo Bell, I gotta say that your name idea is nifty as well, Yuki-Chan."

"It's decided then." Kumiko smiled. "The team name shall be Kagayaku!"

"…a special team… now I really feel like some nifty superhero!" Konata said merrily as she clenched her fists in a dynamic pose. "When do we start??"

"Tonight." Rei said as he watched the time on his watch. "If we hurry, we still might be able to see it. Kumiko-Kun, go and help them prepare for battle. We'll rendezvous in front of the school gate."

Kumiko jolted. "…Sensei? Are you planning to…?!"

Rei stopped on the doorway. "This is the best time for it. With SEES reorganizing and all, we won't have to bother about their presence in there… especially since one of their members is hurt. Besides, it's a good way for all of you to build your strength up." He then gestured Shinn to come along and they both left the lobby.

It was just a few minutes to 12:00 AM when Kumiko and the others met Shinn and Rei in front of the school gates.

The lad kept on gazing the one that, starting from the following day, would have been his new school. _Going to school like an ordinary teenager, huh… it feels so different… _He thought. Meanwhile, Rei was still checking his watch with a slight smile, and when the girls asked him why he asked them all to meet in front of the school gates, he simply replied: "You'll see in a few minutes.". They all decided to kill time by chatting as they waited midnight; Kagami inquired herself about SEES and the different evoking device Kumiko mentioned: no need to tell she was quite shocked by the notion of someone shooting himself to the head with a pseudo-gun in order to summon his/her Persona and took back her remarks about the bizarre joystick-shaped Evoker they use.

"Anyway, why here of all the places?" Shinn asked.

"Please, be patient: it's almost 12:00 AM… you'll see it when the time comes." She calmly replied.

Meanwhile, Rei was still checking his digital watch: it was still a handful of seconds to midnight; as those passed, his smile seemed to broaden.

Then, midnight came. The digital watch simply ceased to function as a distant yet deep rumble could be heard; the moon turned from white to pale green, tainting the scattered clouds in the sky and the surrounding area below of spectral green, while a red liquid, similar to blood, started to form pools on the streets and to drip from the buildings and street lights.

Then a strong rumble coming from the school, similar to an earthquake, caught everyone's attention; save for Rei and Kumiko, everyone were quite amazed in seeing that a strange green tower with an absurd and impossible structure which looked like something out of a modern art picture was slowly raising up from the floor right where Gekkoukan High School was and reaching the sky.

"T…the school…?!" Shinn shakily muttered.

"Whoa, nifty!" Konata remarked, watching how high the tower was.

As for the other three girls, they were all out of words. Makes sense, since it was quite an out of the ordinary thing.

Kumiko walked up the few stairs leading to the tower's outer gate and then turned around to everyone. "This tower… we call it Tartarus. The inside of it is a huge maze… and this is where the shadows come from."

"…so this is why you asked us all to come to the school gates… for during the Dark Hour, it takes such a shape…?" Miyuki said, concerned as both Kumiko and Rei nodded.

"But…why… why does the school become such a thing?!" Kagami asked, feeling dizzy because of the too many information.

Rei fixed his glasses on his nose. "That's something we have to determine. Of course we have theories, but without solid proofs, those are of no use. And this is why we're here. If there's a secret about this place, chances are we could find it here."

"You mean… we have to explore it? ALL of it?!" Kagami asked, feeling exhausted just thinking about how high the tower is. Climbing up such a tower is already tiring, let alone a shadows-filled labyrinth! "Does anyone of you even have any idea of how many floors it has?!"

Tsukasa faced her twin sister with an embarrassed smile, answering: "Umm… no… I guess the only way to find out is actually exploring it… right?"

Rei chuckled. "Of course, I'm not asking you to explore all of it in just one night. But with the due time, little by little, I'm sure you'll climb it all without noticing."

"Exploring a massive maze with lotsa monsters, holding a secret which could be vital to save the world…" Konata mused aloud, enthusiast. "WOW! Now I feel like I've been sucked in a RPG or something!!"

Kagami scratched her cheek while puffing. "'cept this is NO GAME. It's real fighting we're dealing with! We could get hurt, or killed… or worse!"

"You right, Kagamin. This is no game… this is MUCH BETTER!!" Konata replied, causing the girl with pigtails to face-palm.

With that, Kumiko guided the group inside the Tartarus; the first floor didn't look as grotesque as the outside: there was this majestic staircase leading to a golden gate with some sort of clocks embedded on it; still, the walls around were non-existing, some coliseum-like shades scrolling upwards or downwards in a greenish mist, giving some creepy feeling.

"Wow, this place is really something!" Konata said, as enthusiast as a little girl, causing Kagami to shake her head.

Rei cleared his voice to get everyone's attention. All the teenagers gathered around the man as he started to explain what the group would have done that night. "Since is everyone's first time here, you won't proceed to higher floors; for now you'll just have to clean up the second floor, this way, you'll experience how Tartarus is. From the next time on, you'll have to climb as high as you can. Think about this night like a major warm up exercise before the real match!" he said, causing Kagami and Kumiko to remark about how much he sounded like Akihiko with the last statement. After agreeing on that, he cleared his voice and continued. "Kumiko-Kun, since you're the most experienced when it comes to fighting, you will guide the rest of the group during the exploration of Tartarus."

"Roger." She replied, decisive.

"As for you, Miyuki-Kun" he continued, while facing the pretty girl with glasses. "You'll stay on this floor and provide support and information from the outside."

Miyuki jolted. "I beg your pardon? What for?"

"Tartarus' structure changes every time you set foot inside" Kumiko explained. "…this is why we need someone who can see the floor layout from outside and provide us info."

"I see… so it's like a Dungeon Crawler?" Konata mused, cupping her chin, while Kagami stared at her in disbelief.

"I understand" she answered, still uncertain. "…but how am I to do so?"

"Just rely on your abilities…Personomicon's abilities. That way, you'll be able to." Rei said, with a soft smile.

"Y…yes… I'll do my best." She shyly replied as she smiled.

"So then… shall we getting started?" Kumiko said as she readied her chakrams. Then, her attention was caught by someone he failed to notice, kneeling down on the left edge of the floor: it was a young man with a red beret and long, two-colored hair, purple-blueish on the top and black down the rear of the neck; the guy also wore an elaborated and elegant light blue garment, white pants, blue gloves and boots. Seeing he looked like in trouble, the girl walked down to the strangely-dressed person and asked him what was wrong.

The man faced her: he had bizarre amber-colored eyes, looking almost no human and wore sunglasses on the tip of his nose. "Huh?? Hey, you mean you can see me??" he asked, jumping back on his feet.

Kumiko blinked: "Huh? Y…yeah."

Then the guy started to observe her, accurately. Then he nodded and rubbed his nose in a smart way. "Ooh, I see! You must be one of them! One of those both Master Igor and Eliz were talking about, huh? Yep, you came here to explore the place, huh?"

Kumiko nodded, still confused.

"If that's so" he continued, grabbing both her hands "You have to help me! I was tired to stick in 'that room' so I went out and checked the second floor for a while… of course, those shadows were no match for me, but… well… I was so caught in the fight I didn't notice that I dropped my precious paintbrush!"

Kumiko shrugged. "So… you want me to look for your missing brush?"

"Wow, you sure are smart!" The strange person said.

"Look, I'm in the middle of an expedition here. I have no time to spare in these petty things. Besides, if shadows are no match for you, who prevents you from getting it back?" She coldly replied, causing the guy to stare at her with watery puppy eyes.

"I… I would have done it myself… but Eliz will get mad if she finds out I stepped out for too long. B…besides, I'm not saying it's for free! I can reward you, of course! Please, please, please…" He begged, grabbing Kumiko's sweater.

"OK, OK! But this'd better be good!" Kumiko puffed.

She then felt someone shaking her and calling for her name and turned around to see Tsukasa, who looked quite concerned.

"Hey, you OK? You were just talking to yourself!" Konata asked. Confused, the girl in blue snapped in the direction the strange man was, but saw there was no one. _Great, now I'm definitely going crazy… _She thought, shaking her head violently.

"It… it's nothing. Come on, let's go." She said, as she walked up the staircase.

As soon as the girl opened the big golden door, she and her three companions found themselves in a big greenish room, its halls spreading in more directions. Konata, Kagami and Tsukasa looked around, in awe. They all were interrupted when they heard a voice echoing inside each one's mind: Miyuki's voice.

"Yuki-Chan? Where are you?" Tsukasa asked, looking around

"I am speaking directly to your minds via Personomicon…" she answered. "It is remarkable, I can see all the floor you are exploring…! And I can also see shadows, so please be cautious."

"Cool!" Konata said, raising a thumb. "Then… be my navigator, Yuki-Chan!!"

"Stop it, Konata… or people will start imagining naughty stuff between the two of you!" Kagami remarked with a sigh, while Tsukasa had a hard time understanding.

Then Kumiko told them to move cause that wasn't a field trip and the party started exploring. After walking for a while, they spotted a couple of shadows right behind the corner. Sneaking at one of the shadow's back without making any noise, Kumiko made a surprise attack by slashing it with her chakram before it had time to react and caused the second shadow to get scared and run off, prompting the girl to chase it.

"Aaaah! Not so fast, Kumiko-Chan!!" Tsukasa cried, frantically waving her arms. Seeing that Kumiko was too far to hear or notice and already ran behind the farthest corner, she sighed, dropping her arms. The three of them decided to follow after her, but in doing so, they left themselves open to an assault from a group of three shadows, which they could barely dodge.

"W…what are we to do?!" Tsukasa asked on the verge of tears.

" Oh, right! We have the weapons Rei-San gave to us, remember??" Konata said while readying her sword. Following her example, both the twins readied their own weapons. "Yuki-Chan! You think you can gather info about these critters?"

"Ah… Y…yes, I'll give it a try! Just a moment…" She shakily answered. Meanwhile Konata proceeded in slashing one of the shadow with her sword. Seeing that, Kagami aimed at it and finished it off with her machinegun.

"I think I'm getting the hang of it!" Kagami proudly stated.

"You're really good, sis!" Tsukasa said as she smiled. Then she aimed her crossbow to the closest shadow. Unfortunately she missed. "Waaah, I…I'm sorry!"

"Hey, at least this time you weren't about to hit one of us, that's an improvement!" Kagami said trying to cheer her sister up. But she got distracted for a moment and a shadow took advantage of it to attack the girl, who was knocked back by its tackle.

"S…SIS!!" Tsukasa cried as she dashed to her sister, who was painfully clinging her arm.

"S…shoot!" Kagami muttered in pain. "What is Kumiko doing?!"

Konata shook her head, so to not lose her calm and spoke to Miyuki. "Yuki-Chan? Are you done analyzing these ones?"

"Huh? Y…yes… they're weak against wind!" Miyuki said in a very concerned tone

"OK, perfect!" She replied as she dodged the second shadow's attack, causing it to lose its balance. "Now, can you do another favour? Think you can contact Kumiko and tell her to come here?"

"Uh… Alright, I will do it immediately!"

"Wind weakness, huh? Hehe, looks like it's SHOWTIME!!" Konata mumbled with a wicked grin. And with that, she grabbed her Evoker and summoned Nekonata, which blasted a gust of wind by her mouth to stun the other shadow. After that, the small girl charged to the one that looked weaker and finished it off with her sword. "Well, that should buy us enough time… at least until Kumiko won't come! Not bad for a beginner, huh?"

Kagami grinned. "Well that's not bad… but next time, you won't have all the thrill for yourself… ow…"

_O…oh, no! It's… it's all my fault! Because I'm always so clumsy… I… I have to do something! _The cute girl with short hair thought on the verge of tears as she clang her Evoker tightly. Then, decisively, she pressed the button and summoned Balshemikos, which released some warm and soothing energy from his bottle-ish tip, healing Kagami. The girl with pigtails was quite amazed when the pain she felt was totally gone.

"Whoa, Tsukasa! That was quite handy!" Kagami said with a proud smile

"So… that's my ability…?" Tsukasa said, still unable to believe what she just did.

"Watch out!!" Miyuki yelled. "The only enemy left is ready to attack…!!"

"Hmm… time for a little payback, then!" Kagami said, decisive, as she pulled her Evoker out and summoned Bonta-Kun, which used his rifle to finish the shadow off once and for all.

Miyuki sighed in relief. "Thank goodness… the enemies were all defeated…"

"Now I really feel like those years I spent playing RPG really paid me back!" Konata said as she crossed her arms, nodding. "Say, think we got lotsa EXP by this?"

"For the last time, Konata. This is NOT a game!" Kagami sighed. Then the three of them started to laugh, satisfied of their own workout.

Unfortunately, their solace didn't last long, for Miyuki saw a new, bigger shadow headed their direction. When she warned her friends about that, they all turned around to see something like a giant black raven flying toward them. They all braced, but the raven was halted as a flying golden blur, coming from behind them, collided with it making it fall. Before they could turn around, they saw Kumiko jumping past the group, dashing to the raven and, after recovering one of her chakram, slashing the shadow over and over. Once it was defeated, the girl faced Konata and the others, the cold glare in her look disappearing.

"Phew… it appears you're all OK…"

Kagami snapped at her. "Where the heck were you?! We had to fight those shadows by ourselves!"

"I…I'm sorry… I thought you were behind me! I… I think I still am not used to work with a team…"

"Just try and run slower from now on… we have to stick together in here!" Kagami puffed.

Then Tsukasa interrupted her, as she saw that when the bird-shaped shadow vanished, it dropped something. The four girls noticed it was a paintbrush: a paintbrush with a rainbow tip. _Hmm… come to think, that strange guy I saw by the entrance told me he lost his paintbrush… so I didn't imagine it? In any case, we'd better keep it…_

"Everyone, do you read me?" Miyuki's voice spoke once again in their mind. "Personomicon doesn't detect any other shadow on this floor. So, I think it would be a good idea to go back to the hotel for now."

"…Alright" Kumiko said. "I've found an Access Point as I trailed a shadow. We can use it to get out of here. Follow me."

After walking for a bit, they found the shiny device and used it to return to the entrance. Once they noticed they were back, the quartet walked to Rei, Miyuki and Shinn. The latter asked how it went.

"It was so cool!!" Konata proclaimed, joyful.

Rei smirked. "Good, cause you'll have to come here again and again and again… do I have to go on?"

Suddenly, Konata lost all her perkiness and sighed in frustration. "…grind, grind, grind… and grind… that part isn't that fun in RPG…"

Rei then faced Kumiko. "I guess you've still so much to learn about being a leader… try and run a little slower next time and watch out for your team members' condition, OK?"

Kumiko dropped her head. "My apologises, Sensei… I'll try and be a better leader…"

"Right" Rei nodded. "… but you should also look like a leader… so how about wearing one of these during the operations?" he said as he took out a sketch of a Real Robot-ish military officer suit with a very short skirt. All he gained was Kumiko, although looking cool and collected, bashing one of his chakrams violently on his head.

"Sensei, I think you should review your fashion tastes… anyway, go on ahead to the hotel, I have to take care of something first."

"…you mean that strange guy, right?" He asked as he rubbed his aching head.

"What, you saw him?!"

"No… but I sensed him."

_Just what is his real potential? _"OK, then… see you later." She said as Rei and the girls took off. Meanwhile, she headed where she spotted that strange person and noticed he was just there where she left him. Immediately, she took out the paintbrush, asking him if it was his.

"Oooh, my paintbrush!! I feel naked without it! I knew you were a good person, Kumiko!" The man said with a broad smile.

"…How do you know my name?" She asked, suspicious.

"Well… it's not an accident that we met! It was Eliz… my mistress… who told me to make a contact with you. Oh, sorry. I didn't introduce myself, right? I'm Maxwell, the Demon Painter." The man said while scratching the rear of his head.

"Demon Painter? You don't look too dark or grim for such a title…" Kumiko remarked with a smirk.

"Admittedly my title is all dark, but I'm actually just a nice guy who likes to draw!" Maxwell said with a chuckle. "Anyways, I promised a reward, right? Well, here you go!"

With that, Maxwell took out a small paper and magically lifted it in the thin air as his paintbrush kept on changing colors on its own at each brush strike. In less than a minute, the painter made a wonderful picture card with an ethereal being drawn on it.

"Card? What am I supposed to do with it?" Kumiko asked, as she arched an eyebrow.

"Well, you see… unlike 'HIS', your potential is limited to one Persona… but by drawing the power from these cards, you can channel new skills into your unique Persona. A special power only I can use and which could be quite useful to you in preventing the upcoming crisis the world is facing…" He said as he fixed his paintbrush.

"Wait a minute… what are you talking about?" Kumiko asked, uncertain, as she remembered of her strange dreams. "What is this crisis? And who's this person?"

Maxwell shrugged. "Well beats me! But Master Igor and Eliz kept on talking about this, so I figure it might mean something… anyway… if you need something, I'm always here, OK? I got to get going now. See you!" he said before opening a ghost blue door and walking in; the door vanished as soon as he closed it.

**04/21/09**

Things were progressing smooth and uneventful for the last ten days. The Kagayaku girls kept on attending school and doing ordinary stuff by day and exploring the Tartarus by night… or, at least, doing everything in their power to reach what Miyuki called a barrier preventing anyone from going any further. Unfortunately, the progresses were behind the schedule, since the new members –Especially the Hiiragi twins – were prone at getting tired quite soon. The best they all could do so far was reaching some first check point before a guardian shadow they spotted.

On that day, the first thing they had to do when they all reached school was going to the auditorium in order to listen the new Student Council president's – Mitsuru's – speech. She talked long about each students taking responsibilities for their own actions, so to make the school even better. At the end of the speech, it was followed by a long applause.

After the long school day was over, Kumiko headed to the pool in order to train with the swim team and Miyuki was asked to help with the Student Council while Konata and Kagami were waiting for Tsukasa to catch up with them in the courtyard. As they waited, they noticed a bunch of girls waiting for someone as they talked in a lively way. Then one of them, a cute girl with mid long brown hair, walked to the duo.

"H…hey!" she asked with her very tiny voice. "Aren't you the girls who were accompanied by Akihiko-Kun on the first day of school?"

Both Konata and Kagami glanced at each other. "Well, we're just classmates…" Kagami said, perplexed.

"So that means you see him everyday?? In the same classroom?? Awwww, you're SO lucky!!" Another girl from the bunch cried, while Kagami scratched her cheek with a finger.

The girl with the tiny voice quieted her colleagues and then talked to the two girls. "So you know him well? Think you could give us some info about him? Oh by the way, my name is Emiko, from 3-B… don't forget it! Oh, and give my regards to Kumiko-Chan when you see her!" She said with a deep blush and then ran back to the rest of the group.

_**Emiko Midorikawa: **__She's a Senior in Gekkoukan High and a major Akihiko fan, not to mention Kumiko's school friend. She's a quiet and reserved girl and also a good cook. Her dream is to share her hand-made lunch box with Akihiko. She seems to be the one who likes him the most in the fan club._

"Hey, sis! Sorry to keep you waiting." Tsukasa said as she got out of the school alongside Kenji, the blue haired boy they met at the Iwatodai dorm.

"Finally!" Konata sighed. "What took you so long?"

"I'm sorry…" Tsukasa said with a sheepish smile. "But I didn't remember which way the exit was, so I walked around the school for quite a while…"

Kagami placed both hands at her sides. "I see… so you met Kenji here who helped you find the exit?"

Tsukasa kept on smiling in an ever more embarrassed way and glanced at Kenji, who was scratching his cheek with a finger. "Actually, I took even more time since I met him. He kept on leading me around and around… he totally forgot where we were going and led me to the rooftop… then to the sports clubs… in the end, we saw the whole school but never made here."

_Wow… so there IS someone who can match Tsukasa's clumsiness? And he isn't any less cuter than her! _Konata thought.

Then a high-pitched squeal from the other girls caused the three girls and Kenji to face them. As soon as Akihiko came out, they all surrounded him as they kept on squealing. He didn't look too pleased of it though. Kagami thought that whole show was sickening. "Meh, look at that! All girls swooning over him! As if he was the oh so great guy they think he is! But he's nothing more than an exalted! Can't stand this!"

Noticing that, Konata faced her friend with a playful smile. "What's wrong, Kagamin? You wanna join the fan club? Come on, I know you like him…"

"Can't blame you if you do" a male voice said at Konata's back. They all saw it was Junpei. "Captain of the boxing team…he's a real chick magnet after all. Stuff you hardly see even in manga or in TV! Man, I'd better start playing buddy-buddy with him as soon as possible!" he said with a naughty smile.

"No way!" she snapped. "Why should I like some exalted fanatic like that guy?!"

She was so irritated that he didn't notice that Akihiko was coming to her, so she jolted when she heard him say: "So that's what you think of me, hmm? You think I'm an exalted fanatic?"

"Y…yeah, that's what I think!" the girl snapped at him while blushing violently. "Got a problem with that?!"

Akihiko shook his head and smiled. "Not at all. I appreciate your sincerity, Hiiragi…" then, to Kenji and Junpei: "Are you two free this afternoon? If that's so, I want you two to come with me at Paulownia Mall, in front of the police station."

"You mean… we're not going with your friends here?" Junpei asked, disappointed.

"Them?" The silver-haired stylish lad said. "I don't even know their names, they're such a headache. Well see you there." He said before leaving as the other girls trailed him, save for Emiko who looked at the lunch box she made and sighed as she went sitting on a bench.

"How strange…" Junpei mused aloud. "How can he not know their names?! I mean, come on!"

"Dunno" Konata replied. "Maybe he's not interested in girls… know what I'm getting at?"

"But at least he remembered sis' name!" Tsukasa replied.

Meanwhile Kagami was still in awe, since she didn't expect Akihiko to have such a reaction and wondered he was either teasing her on purpose or not. "Man, I can't STAND that guy!" she then cried.

"Anyway…" Kenji said. "He said to meet him at Paulownia Mall, right? So… um… Junpei? Where's Paulownia Mall again? I don't remember…"

_Now it doesn't surprise me he got lost inside the school! _The three girls thought.

Then Konata's mind snapped. "Oh right! I think I went to that mall! Isn't there an arcade named Game Panic over there?"

"Sure does" Junpei nodded. "Didn't expect a girl to go there, though… when I ask girls to go there with me they look at me as if I were some sort of alien or something!"

"I know what you mean…say, how about going there one of these afternoons for a little match? Playing alone isn't that fun!" The small girl asked

The capped lad's smile broadened. "Sounds sweet! Anytime is OK with me!"

Kagami interrupted, reminding them about their duties as students and not forgetting about studying and such, but Junpei replied he never studied as he laughed, prompting Konata to let out a satisfied chuckle as the girl with pigtails shook her head in disbelief. The small, blue haired girl was even more positive that that would have been a school year to not forget.

**04/30/09**

Nothing special occurred save for a new extracurricular activity starting in Gekkoukan High School: the computer class. Several students, including all of the Kagayaku members, Kenji and Junpei, decided to join the club: the kids from Kagayaku were quite surprised when they saw that the professor for the computer class was none other than their boss, Rei Kurohagane! The first thing the man said as the class started was: "I won't waste time by teaching you computer notions, you're free to do whatever you want with the computers. Want to play games? Go on and play games. Want to chat? Go on and chat. Want to view 18+ material? Do it. The only thing I recommend you is this: you clean up your own mess, OK? Viruses, spywares and so on, those are under your responsibility. That said, we can start."

Naturally there were a few who thought that time during an extracurricular activity must be productive – Kagami for one – but most of the students welcomed the notion quite openly, especially Junpei, who was quite glad the teacher agreed to the game tournament he proposed.

Once the computer class was over and the computer room was empty, Rei kept Kumiko so to talk with her.

"The Tartarus exploration is lagging… Almost 20 days have passed since you first explored Tartarus and you still have to reach the first barrier." The man said in a cold tone.

"I know" Kumiko replied "But the girls still have a hard time adapting to the Dark Hour and they're easily getting exhausted… especially Tsukasa… and Shinn still couldn't awake his powers…"

"You realize that there's still less than two weeks till the next full moon, right?" He asked.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure we'll reach the barrier before then." _I don't get it… why do we have to do it during full moons?_

**05/01/09**

"Kumiko, are you busy this afternoon?" Kagami asked, placing a hand on her classmate's desk while the dark-haired girl lifted her head to face her.

"Well, I was planning to go home and catch up with the latest doujinshi. I'm behind schedule with the names' delivery… but to tell the truth, it's such a boring work I really don't feel like doing it today…" she replied, letting an exasperated sigh. "Why? You planning to go somewhere?"

Kagami swayed her gaze and blushed slightly, looking a bit annoyed. "The teacher gave me the task of bringing today's homework to Sanada-Kun, who has been hospitalized. I don't feel like meeting THAT guy by myself… so…"

"Oh, I see!" Konata butted in with her usual playful smile. "Kagamin is too shy to meet the guy she likes…"

"What you NUTS?! Why am I supposed to like SANADA-KUN?!" The girl with pigtails cried, frantically waving her arms.

"I hope he's better…" Miyuki quietly said. "Why don't we all go and see him?"

"Good idea, Yuki-Chan! He'll be happy!" Tsukasa replied with a cute smile.

Konata scratched the rear of her head. "Dunno… he doesn't look like being interested in girls… but whatever!"

So the quintet decided to walk to the Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. Once reaching the hospital hobby, they inquired about Akihiko's room and walked there. As they spotted their classmate room, they started to walk there, when they saw someone coming out of the room; Kumiko almost had a heart attack when she noticed that the guy was the same person she ran into when she rescued Shinn: the shifty-looking guy with the dark red coat and the black beanie. The girl, normally quiet in an almost cold way, couldn't help but jumping backwards.

"Y…YOU?! What are you doing here?!"

The strange guy didn't answer, he simply tilted his head in an interrogative way.

"Um… friend of yours, Kumiko?" Tsukasa asked awkwardly.

"Friend?! No way!! You don't know what he was about to do to me! I don't know what he's up to, but--"

The shady person simply walked to her, staring her under his beanie. "Did you forget this is a hospital? Stop screaming like a bitch." He coldly stated, causing Kumiko to hush herself as she blushed.

Tsukasa spoke again, after a long pause. "Er… excuse me, sir… we're looking for Akihiko Sanada's room… is this the right room?"

"I see…" he said, glancing at Tsukasa who was smiling shyly. "You must be Aki's classmates… he's inside. But he seems to be busy talking crap with his new friends." With that he started to leave without even saying goodbye. Then he stopped on his tracks and, without looking back, he said to Kumiko: "Anyway, about what happened the last night… I wasn't planning anything funny with you, so stop making a big deal about it. Just don't forget what I told you…"

"The nerve!!" Kumiko puffed as the mystery guy walked downstairs. Meanwhile, Akihiko, who was hearing commotion from outside his room, decided to peek outside and saw the five girls.

"Don't misunderstand!" Kagami said, annoyed. "We're not here to pester you! I didn't want to come to the hospital to bring you these homework alone, so I asked them to accompany me!"

"Ah. Well thanks anyway, Hiiragi." Aki nodded. Then, noticing Kumiko was absent-minded: "Fukuyama? You OK?"

Kumiko snapped back to reality and faced her classmate. "Y…yeah, but who was that guy just now?"

"Oh, him? You didn't recognize him? Well, can't blame you… he's so different…" he sighed. "But please, come inside."

The five girls stepped inside the room and noticed that Kenji, Junpei and Yukari were there. Yukari bowed to her five Senpai as Kenji did the same, while Junpei just waved his hand.

"Sanada-Kun! You're alright!" Tsukasa said, heartened. "When I heard you were hospitalized, I was so worried about you!"

The silver-haired boy chuckled. "Meh, nothing to it. I'm used to this stuff." With that, he started testing one of his arm and gestured a punch toward Junpei, causing him to wince. "Can't wait to train again… I can't afford to lose any more ground with Fukuyama."

"Whoa, whoa., King of the Ring!" Kumiko said as she stretched both hands as to tell him to relax "I think I already told you, I'm NOT your rival. I don't want to!"

"Anyway, Senpai…" Yukari asked. "Why did you choose boxing as a sport?"

"Well, I just wanted to learn how to fight… because… I don't want to feel powerless again…" Akihiko replied, his eyes getting lost in sad, melancholic thoughts, causing everyone to not fully understand. Then, with a self-confident smirk: "…and I want to see how strong I can get! It's like a game, just I'm competing with myself."

Junpei nodded as he faced the girls. "I know, I'm into games too you know!"

"Yeah, VIDEO games…" Yukari remarked, shaking her head.

This prompted Konata to ask in Kumiko's ear: "…Hey, what's wrong with VIDEO games?"

"Beats me…" Kumiko whispered back. "…but I don't want to get in such an argument with Miss Popularity 2009 here…"

**05/09/09**

As she was walking to the school gates, Kumiko ran into Rei, who seemed like waiting for her. As the girl approached, he greeted her, asking her to approach.

"Whoa, you come at the school gates to greet me… now this is rare!" she smirked. "What is it?"

"I was thinking that you really look like a zombie in the morning… being up and bright is a pre-requirement to be fine woman." He said with a playful smile.

"Sensei… can't you be serious for a while? I know you're not here to make cheesy remarks!"

Rei's facial expression became more serious. "It appears things worked better than expected. You DID manage to reach the barrier before today…"

"Wasn't easy, but everyone got stronger… tougher… but, you know… I'm worried about that boy…"

"You mean Shinn?"

"Yes… it's been a whole month and his potential didn't manifest… do you really think involving him with Kagayaku was a good idea? I mean, in the end, it's possible he doesn't have the potential at all!... and without it…"

"Well, maybe it takes some time for him to fully adapt this whole situation… anyway, Kumiko-Kun… I want you to tell everyone to gather in the hotel lobby as soon as they're back from school and wait for the Dark Hour."

"So… we really are executing the operation tonight…?" the girl was about to ask him the reason why the operation was going to be executed in a full moon night, but she was interrupted by the first bell. "Uh-oh… better get going… I don't want to be late!" she said as she dashed inside.

The school day was once again uneventful, safe for several teachers reminding the students about the upcoming midterm exams. Once it was all over, Kumiko warned her four classmates about what Rei told her; after that, she tried and warn Shinn as well but for then he already left the school.

As a matter of fact, Shinn was having a stroll in the Port Island Station square, thinking about all the things happening to him in the past weeks. _Shadows, time-space anomalies… people who become coffins… Personas… this crap makes no sense! _He thought. _How was I sucked into this mess?! I'm not supposed to stay here at all! _

He shook his head as he walked next to the flower stand. "I can't stay here! I gotta find a way to go back… yes, if I just sit and wait, I won't solve anything! Screw Kagayaku and its load of crap! I'll find a way back on my own! Yes… I must focus on my real goal: going back and defeating HIM… But without that so-called special power, they say I'm helpless… Dammit…"

Shinn was so enwrapped in his own thoughts he didn't notice a blond girl with a white and blue dress was approaching him; she was enwrapped in something herself, but it wasn't thinking: she was dancing. The collision was inevitable. Both fell down the staircase leading in the back alley, surprising the local punks who were sitting there smoking weeds and drinking alcoholics.

"Holy shit, dude! You Gekko High kids have all luck!" A blond punk wearing a black shirt and a bandanna said with a cackle, making Shinn notice that he fell on the top of the dancing girl, both hands on her breasts. The girl, on her hand, was still a bit stunned, but as soon as she noticed Shinn was squeezing her breasts, she threw an angry glance at him and pushed him away without saying a word and ran away, leaving Shinn in awe, as red as a tomato, staring at his own hands.

"Damn kid!" A spiked-haired punk said, spitting on the ground. "You sure are a lame-ass, letting such a babe go this way!"

"What a loser! Wish I was in his place… I mean, have you seen that chick's melons?!" Another punk said, drooling.

Meanwhile, Shinn was brought back to reality by his cell phone ringing and, frustrated, he dashed back upstairs, as the punks kept on making even dirtier remarks about the scene they saw and one of them, a red-coated one with a black beanie, seemed quite perplexed, as if he knew that girl.

"Shinn-Kun? It's me, Kumiko. I've been searching you all over the school. Where did you go?" A voice said on the phone.

"It's none of your business. Anyway, what do you want?"

"Rei-Sensei contacted me. He want us to assemble in the lobby."

"…So?"

"I can't tell you now. Just come to the hotel."

"Fine, fine…" Shinn puffed as he ended the conversation and went to get the train for Iwatodai station.

It was the Dark Hour when Rei entered the lobby escorted them all in his room: it was a very big room, it also had a big screen and some sort of electronic device; it looked more like a control room than an ordinary room.

The professor started to talk. "You girls all did a remarkable job with your training and the Tartarus exploration. I know it must have been really though for you, but I appreciate your hard work. I really do."

Kumiko's comrades all smiled and exchanged complicity glances as Konata started to brag about her "war successes" and Kagami reminded her of how she was in trouble because of a big guardian shadow she couldn't handle, prompting the small girl to hush her friend.

"Now, I gathered you all here to discuss about tonight's operation." Rei continued.

"Huh, operation? Like some sort of mission, Sensei?" Tsukasa asked.

"It's part of our job in unveiling the truth." The man nodded.

"But why tonight?" Kumiko asked, hoping the professor could finally answer her question.

"I see your concern, Kumiko-Kun… since tonight is a full moon, it means one of THOSE shadows will appear and thus, minor ones will start roaming outside Tartarus… so you'll probably think that doing an operation in such a circumstance is way too dangerous…" Rei explained as he crossed his arms. "But the big shadow's presence will also make sure that SEES will be busy with it… in other words, no one will come and bother us."

"…leaving us a clear coast… yes, it's kinda risky, but it might work!" Konata continued his speech, cupping her chin. "So… what's our mission?"

The man asked Miyuki to focus and summon Personomicon. Immediately, the book-shaped Persona appeared in front of her. After a few instances, she said she sensed many things: a bunch of shadows in the station area, as well as Persona-users. Then, she said she was picking up other non-transmogrified humans on the other side of the Iwatodai area.

Immediately, Rei walked to his big computer and started typing something, making a map of the Iwatodai/Port Island area appear on the screen. Then the map zoomed to an industrial section, a few distance away from a stadium. Miyuki said that the readings came from inside the factory.

"According to the data Kumiko-Kun and I gathered so far, the Dark Hour exists since much more recent times than shadows… and it makes sense, since shadows exist alongside with man. Of course, this is just a theory, but… it is possible that the Dark Hour isn't a result of shadows after all." Rei said as he turned the computer in standby.

"Are you saying" Kagami stuttered in shock. "it might be a man-made phenomena?! Is it even possible?!"

"Of course, the chances of it being possible are slim, but there still is a chance… and… if it really is man-made…" Rei continued.

Kumiko interrupted, realizing. "…then the ones who created it might be able to move inside it!"

The man nodded. "Part of our mission is also to know what became of these people… we need as much info as possible. So, tonight. I want you to investigate on the humans inside the facility. Find and make a contact with them."

"Roger!" All the girls promptly replied.

The man then proceeded with explaining the formation. "Kumiko-Kun: as always, you shall be the team leader. Miyuki-Kun will handle the support from outside the facility. I will come along, but just as a supervisor. If the need arises, I will come and help, but I doubt it will be the case. You all trained hard, so I'm positive of your success. Now let's go!"

Rei and the girls all moved outside the hotel, passing in front of Shinn, who looked even more annoyed. _Going on a mission and letting me out just because I don't have that power… dammit… I'm tired of this!! _He thought as he ran in his room, something in his mind.

"It's so weird…" Tsukasa remarked as she stepped inside the facility. Although it was dark, the pale green light of the moon dimly enlightened the surrounding area, delivering its spectral hue. "It doesn't sound like a facility at all… and you can't hear any sound at all… it's so creepy…"

"Stand close to me, Tsukasa." Kagami said, holding her sister's hand. "You can never tell what dangers we're going to face."

Meanwhile Konata was walking towards a black coffin, surrounded by a reddish aura. "Kumiko-Chan? Is this one of those Transmogged people? Poor guy though… it's kinda creepy!"

They were all interrupted by Miyuki who, from the outside, warned them about the presence of several shadows, including one with abnormal readings, and about the presence of two more people: one at the top floor and one moving around the facility. She then gasped. "How strange… I thought I just detected… never mind… please move on…"

"Miyuki-Kun… are you alright?" Rei asked seeing that Miyuki was starting to feel chilly.

"No… I'm not cold…" she quietly said with a slight blush. " I think I'm just a little worried about the outcome of this operation… I have a bad feeling…"

Rei placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You believe in Konata and the others, right? If that's the case, you don't need to worry about a thing. Just keep on believing in them and your power."

The girl with glasses smiled sweetly. "I understand, Sensei… thank you…" she said as she resumed to focus on Personomicon. Once again, she gasped. "I…I was right!!"

"What is it, Miyuki-Kun?" Rei asked, fixing his glasses.

"I… I picked up Asuka-Kun inside the facility!" She stuttered.

"Shinn… should have seen it coming…" He mumbled.

"What…what should we do, Sensei??"

"Let him be."

"S…Sensei?!"

"I've been thinking about it…" he said, looking at the moon. "We never really gave him the chance to trigger his potential… this shall be the final test to see he's actually suited to be a full-fledged Kagayaku member."

While all of this was happening, Shinn was finding a way to get to the floor the two human readings were without being seen by the rest of the Kagayaku members. He first tried to get through the safety staircases, but the door was locked. Then it hit him: during the Dark Hour all electronic devices cease to exist. Using one of the blades he got from the hotel's storeroom, he managed to pry the elevator door opened with a sword and opened the elevator's upper side. He then looked upwards. Climbing the wire wouldn't have been easy, but at least he didn't have to worry about the elevator moving. _Just a chance… can't afford to blow it… _He thought as he climbed. _I might not have that power, but… there IS something I can do… I can't just sit and watch…_

As he kept on climbing, he spotted the highest doorway, and he figured he wasn't far from where one of the human readings was. The climb wasn't easy, but he suddenly gained all of his energy. Immediately, he reached for one of the blades so to pry the door open.

Then a strong metallic sound was heard as the machines started to work again…

"Hey, what was that?!" Kagami asked, noticing the metallic sound and the buzzing sound of machines.

"Maybe the Dark Hour is over?" Tsukasa asked, watching frantically around.

"No…" Kumiko said, watching outside through a window: the moon was still shining pale green. "There has to be something controlling the machines somewhere… probably a shadow in the main control room…" _It's strange… did it activate the machines to lure us there… or maybe…_

"Let's go get it!" Konata said, clenching her fists. "We can easily beat it…"

Kumiko shook her head. " That's not part of our mission. Now we need to focus on finding those people."

Their conversation was once again interrupted by Miyuki. "Everyone! One of the people inside the facility is really close to you, inside the generator room. The other one moved on the second floor… there's a shadow too… but it's moving so fast, I can't seem to pinpoint its location…!"

"We'll take care of the closest person. Come on, let's go to the generator room!" Kagami said, gesturing everyone to follow her.

"Wait, sis!" Tsukasa stopped her. "Do you know where the generator room exactly is?"

The pigtailed girl stopped on her tracks and puffed, hands on her waist. Then she faced the rest of the group with an annoyed and embarrassed face and grunted. Konata, who could barely stifle a laugh, contacted their navigator. "Yuki-Chan? Where's the generator room?"

As soon as the metallic sound stopped, the whole upwards tunnel Shinn was in was rumbling with the machinery buzzes. Then he felt his inside as being torn apart as he noticed he was being pulled upwards, towards the gears and wheels pulling up the elevator. _Crap! This is no good!! _After a first moment of loss, he promptly grabbed the other wire, that was pulled downwards and landed on the rising elevator. He was way off the top floor but if he didn't hurry and open one of the doors, the elevator would have crushed him soon! Immediately he jumped back inside the elevator and tried to stop it with the inner button. It didn't work. The elevator kept on going up and the inner door was blocked. Then it stopped again. Taking advantage of this, Shinn opened the lower emergency door with his blade and climbed the wired down back where he started. Fortunately, the first floor door was still open. As he was about there, he heard the same metallic clunk as the wire he was holding started going up rapidly. Immediately, he let it go and jumped down, instinctively looking up. His heart skipped a beat as he saw the elevator falling rapidly toward him. He had to be quick or else…

"DAMMIT!!" He desperately jumped outside, rolling on the floor a moment earlier the elevator crashed. The lad looked back to the broken elevator as the machines turned off again. He still couldn't believe what just happened. He was still shaking and could barely stand, but at least he survived.

"OK… OK… I got it… I'll walk the stairs up from now on!" He said to no one in particular with a nervous cackle as he got up on his feet.

"OK, this is it. This should be the generator room…" Kumiko said as she moved to open the door. "Locked… should have seen it coming…!"

"Oh no!! How are we going to get in now?!" Tsukasa cried as she walked to the door. Then she lost her pace, tripping on something and falling on the door, breaking through it. She immediately rose up on a sat position. "Ow…Whoops!"

"God bless Tsukasa and her clumsiness!" Konata said as she nodded.

"Hey, there's someone in here!" Kagami said as she walked inside the room: inside there was a young woman with blond hair and two deep violet eyes; she wore a beautiful blue dress with a white skirt and donned a very endowed figure. The girl seemed tense for some reason.

"H… hey… you're OK?" Kagami said, walking closer to the girl. "It's alright, we're here to get you out of here… you don't need to worry…"

"KAGAMI!! Get away from that girl!!" Kumiko said, strangely upset. The pigtailed girl didn't understand at once; then she caught a movement in the corner of her eye and could barely dodge a knife slash from the mysterious blondie.

"Sis, you OK?!" Tsukasa cried, dashing to her sister. Fortunately, she was unharmed.

"Hey, are you nuts?! We're here to help you!" Konata said, hands on both sides.

"Liars!!" the girl simply cried, pointing her knife to the group. "You're not good! Kurz said… you're bad!"

"Kurz…?!" Kumiko said, bracing herself. "Who's this Kurz?!"

Seeing Kumiko reading her weapon, the blond girl clenched her knife, biting her lower lip. "Don't… come near! Go away!" She shouted as she charged to stab her.

"Darn…" The dark-haired girl muttered. "Just what we needed, she won't listen at all…" Promptly, she dodged the girl's knife and hit her hand with the flat part of her chakram, so to avoid to cut her. Then she placed her foot on the knife, preventing her from picking it up. The blonde stepped back, clenching her aching hand as she glanced at Kumiko with hatred-filled eyes.

"Will you be quiet for now and answer our questions?" she asked in a cold tone.

The girl didn't answer… once the pain at her hand was gone, she reached something at her side and pulled a gun out.

"So she had another weapon?!" Kagami said, bracing herself. Then she noticed she wasn't going to aim her at anyone of the group; rather, she was aiming it at her own forehead, her eyes shut. "What the…?! Would she rather commit suicide?!"

"No wait…" Kumiko answered, tense. "That is not just a gun… it's an Evoker!" _So this girl is a Persona-user?! Now that explains why she can act during the Dark Hour… _"But… something's way off…"

As a matter of fact, the blond girl's hands were shaking violently as she couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger and she looked like she could barely even breathe. Instantly, her eyes snapped open and stared at her Evoker in shock. Then she dropped it and sunk on her knees as she moaned loudly.

Even Kumiko felt bad for her. "Although an Evoker is not a real gun, the gesture is still the same…shooting yourself to the head… it's not something easy to handle…" she said, saddened.

"Is this the reason why Kuro-Sensei made that other Evoker, Kumiko-Chan?" Tsukasa asked.

Then a male voice from the outer window boomed. "I should have known that psycho wouldn't have been able to handle it… it's so hard finding a decent helper…"

After that, a weird figure jumped inside from the window: although a man, this person was wearing a purple blouse with a white foulard, a white skirt and black stockings; he had mid-long blond hair and a smart-ass facial expression.

"Sheesh, what a bunch of bitches… I don't know who packed this group but he has bad tastes… the same tastes a certain someone I know has…"

Kumiko faced him with a cold, piercing stare. "I see… so you must be this Kurz person this girl was talking about…"

The man (?) graced her with a mock bow. "Tsk… Stellar and her big mouth… anyway, you're pretty smart for a bimbo who likes to wear ecchi tight-long stockings… just what Hentai series did you come out from?

Kumiko's eyebrow twitched as she smirked. "Hmph… I don't need to hear that from a crap-talking drag queen!"

Kurz winced and snarled: "Ugh… I'll make you swallow these words, wench… anyway… today I'm just here to recover this woman. But next time, I'll settle things with you…". Then to the girl. "We're going home, Stellar."

With that, Kurz took the girl and they both jumped off the window. When the Kagayaku girls looked outside, both him and the girl named Stellar were gone…

_**Stellar Loussier: **__A strange girl who also seems to be a Persona-user, but she still doesn't seem like being able to use her Evoker. It appears she's mentally unstable and to not like the concept of shooting herself or death itself. Looks like she's in league with Kurz, but who are they in league with and what's their true intent?_

_**Kurz Weber (Can't say more, but some people know who I'm talking about, it's a real person): **__A cross-dressing mystery man (?) who shares his name, face and voice with Kurz from Fullmetal Panic, but dresses like Illya from Fate/ Stay Night. Not much is known about him, safe that he seems to know Rei and he has tendency to bash people around, but he seems like being more a nuisance than a real threat. _

"Everyone?? The signal in the generator room is gone… what happened?" Miyuki said

"Forget it, Yuki-Chan… things look more complicated than expected… she wasn't going to cooperate… and she escaped." Konata replied via transceiver.

"O…oh, I see… too bad… But the other reading is still in the facility… just… the shadow is moving there" Miyuki seemed quite agitated about it.

"If that's the case we have no time to spare! Let's go on the second floor!" Kumiko said as she dashed downstairs.

Shinn was just done climbing the staircase to the second floor. He looked around, looking for the control room. Then, he spotted a pack of shadows gathering around a certain door. _If that's the control room, the person trapped there will be in trouble! _ Taking a deep breath, he clenched both blades and connected the two hilts to make a swallow-like weapon and after focusing, he charged to the shadows with a loud yell.

The more came, the more he slashed. _So this is how it feels… this is how it works… is it any different?! _

Even his standard potential didn't seem to be much, although he was somehow fetching himself… _Shadows… Fighting in a world I never knew… an enemy no one knows about… a battle that has nothing to do with me… what a load of crap!_

Then even more kept on coming and one managed to split the connected weapon in the original twin blades.

"WHY YOU…!!" He yelled as he tried to slash one of the shadow but this time he lost the pace and fell on his knees. As the shadow moved around him, ready to maul, Shinn let go a grim and bitter cackle. _Tch… I don't know why but tears keep on falling… I don't even got the time to wonder why…_

Before the shadows could attack, they were crippled by a bullet killing another one of them. Immediately, they turned towards the control room's door to see a tall and thin youth with short smooth blue hair and blue-green eyes; he was wearing a white jacket above a blue shirt and white pants. Immediately, he aimed to the other two shadows and killed them. Then, once things settled down, he put his gun away and sighed, walking towards the boy.

"Shinn…? Is it really you, Shinn?" The blue-haired guy said bending over Shinn.

"Tch… of all people… it had to be YOU…" Shinn muttered, completely out of breath. 

"What are you doing here? Don't you know that when it's night-time—"

But he was interrupted by a big, weird-looking shadow looking like a masked wizard wielding some sort of magic wand.

"…what is this?! I never seen one like this before…" The blue-haired guy said, pulling out his gun.

"So this is one of those that computer professor was talking about?! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!!" Shinn said as he stood up. The mage-shaped shadow was about to strike him with his staff, but the blue-haired one focused on his gun and shot it at its arm.

"What are you waiting for?! Get away, Shinn!!"

"Stop spitting orders around, Athrun! This isn't ZAFT and you're not my superior!" Shinn angrily spat.

"But you're in no condition to fight!" The elder guy, Athrun, said, his grip on the gun tightening.

"Shut up! I'm not through yet!!" _Damn it… my power isn't enough?! _

Then both of them felt the surrounding temperature rising as the mage shadow charged his fire skill, Maragi, causing a flaming explosion on the two young men.

"Ow… he's serious, huh… damn…" Shinn muttered, his whole body burning. Once the pain soothed a little, he saw Athrun walking in front of him.

"Hey!! Are you completely nuts?! This is no ordinary shadow!!" He cried.

Athrun quietly took out something from his jacket: Shinn gasped in seeing it was a joystick-shaped evoker, like the ones Rei gave the Kagayaku members. "I know… but… I can't go back now." With that, he pressed the button and yelled: "SAVIOUR!!"

Instantly he was surrounded by a blue aura as a gigantic red robot appeared above him and used its gunpower to badly damage the shadow.

"W…what?! Athrun is a Persona-user too?!" Shinn cried in awe. "Damn, am I the only one who doesn't… NO WAY, I'M NOT ACCEPTING IT!!"

So Shinn grabbed the Evoker he got from the hotel and with a loud shout, he pressed the button, causing a blue aura to surround him as a big, mainly white and red robot-like Persona appeared. Immediately it used its big blade to finish the shadow. As soon as it disappeared, Shinn gazed at the space it was and started cackling madly, sinking on his knees.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Kagayaku members arrived where Shinn and Athrun were.

"Phew… it appears the shadows are gone!" Tsukasa sighed as she catched breath.

"Shinn, what are you doing here?!" Kagami asked.

Shinn looked at her and graced it with a mischievous smile. "What am I doing? I just had my big debut… but he's not much as an audience…"

"He?" All the girls turned to face Athtun, who surrounded itself with bishi sparks and shojo bubbles.

"And you are? Friends of Shinn's? I am Athrun. Athrun Zala. It's always a pleasure getting to know all these lovely ladies…" he said with a smooth voice as he stretched a hand to Kumiko, who completely ignored him.

"Miyuki? It appears it wasn't a complete fiasco after all… Shinn's potential is finally awake and we got one of the two people we were looking for… by the way… did you say that this guy is…"

"Ah, yes…" Miyuki said, a bit embarrassed. "I'm positive I sensed him using the potential, so this Athrun person must be a Persona-user himself."

"I see… OK, everyone, let's get out of here… and about your escape, Shinn, we'll talk about that once we're back to the hotel." She said as she walked downstairs, leaving Athrun still hand-stretched.

"It's been a while, Athrun." Rei said as he saw the newcomer with the rest of Kagayaku.

"Professor, it's good to see you… so you managed to recruit people for your team, I see… but I wouldn't have expect Shinn to be one of them." Athrun quietly said

Then, noticing that the girls were all confused, Rei explained: "Ah this is Athrun. I happened to meet him a few weeks ago and revealed he had the potential too… but he said he had to do some individual researches, so he couldn't join Kagayaku… not right away. But I decided to provide an Evoker for him anyway."

"Individual researches?" Kumiko inquired.

"Let's just say I wanted to understand the picture in this town… and I was also searching for a missing friend of mine… unfortunately, I didn't get much info… at least not relevant ones…" He suddenly fell silent and thoughtful.

Rei nodded: "Well if that's so… maybe you should quit your individual researches and join us… we have the same goal after all."

Miyuki smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You'll find your friend, Zala-San… I'm sure of it."

Athrun smiled back and immediately grasped her hand. "Thank you, Miyuki… this is your name, right? I'm so lucky having such a beautiful woman as a navigator… I can't wait to work along side you…" He said, pushing his face really close to her and causing her to blush violently.

Then, suddenly, something hit Athrun on the back of his head, causing him to fall on the ground, face first. "What the…?!" He mumbled, cleaning his face and seeing that no one was doing nothing.

"Very well." Rei said in a quiet voice as he loosened his wrist for no apparent reason. "Let's go back to the hotel. I'd say the mission is accomplished, so there's no need to stay here any longer. The Dark Hour will end soon…"

With that Kagayaku, now bigger, walked back home after completing their hard mission…

_**Athrun Zala: **__Another peculiar teenager who was mixed in the whole situation and who seems like knowing Shinn as a military superior. He's normally a cool and rational guy, but has the tendency to act as a playboy, since he tries flirting with every single girl indiscriminately. He claims he's searching for his missing friend as he tries and figure out the situation. His Persona is Saviour of the Hierophant Arcana. _

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!!**

**Konata: **On the next episode of PERUSURI…

**Athrun: **So I'll start attending school? Hehehe, can't wait… it's filled with nice girls and… OUCH!! What hit me?!

**Kumiko: **A hard month awaits both SEES and Kagayaku… two words: midterms exams… ugh, I hate that word!

**Junpei: **Amen, sister.

**Shinn: **If only my female classmates stopped bullying those weaker…

**Yukari: **Shinn-Kun, you're from 2-E, right? So do you know anything about the missing girl?

**Shinn: **You mean Yamagishi?

**Konata: **Ah, the ghost story?

**Yukari: **Th-th-THERE ISN'T SUCH A THING!!

**Konata: **Right… there isn't such a thing… and Sanada isn't gay…

**Akihiko: **HEY!!

**Miyuki: **See you all in the next exciting chapter: "A Voice from the Dark"

**Kenji: **You really-really-really-really-really don't want to miss it!

**Shinjiro: **No really. You don't want to.

**Kumiko: **And you are…?

**Shinjiro: **…You'll know in the next chapter, so be quiet and wait.

**Kagami/Tsukasa: **See you in the next chapter! Read and review!!

**BLUE VELVET: The PeruSuri trivia channel: Ep.2**

**Elizabeth: **Good day everyone. I see you're even more than the last episode. This is heartening. Welcome to Blue Velvet. I am Elizabeth and this here is…

**Maxwell: **Maxwell, nice to meet you!

**Elizabeth: **Say, Maxwell… why weren't you here on the last episode?

**Maxwell: **Well, Eliz… I kinda… er… lost the key to the Velvet Room.

**Elizabeth: **_(Sighs) _Not surprised for some reason… Anyway, I'd like to open this Blue Velvet episode with a special way to thank one of our first reviewers: Mr. Thumbsup. _Takes out a piece of paper _He asked a Ranma/P3 crossover for Blue Velvet. Well, Mister… we decided to invite a special guest especially for you: ladies and gentlemen, directly from the Ranma ½ show… RYOUGA HIBIKI!

_**Nothing happens**_

**Elizabeth: **_(Teeth-clenching) _Maxwell… where's our guest?

**Maxwell: **I-I don't know! He said he was coming here, so he should be here soon!

**Elizabeth: **Alright… let's wait then…

_**A week later… spider webs appeared here and there as Igor is dozing off**_

**Maxwell: **I doubt he's coming…

**Elizabeth: **Perfect… just perfect! Our share never was so low… but you know what they say: "The show must go on anyway!

**Maxwell: **So we'll proceed with the program?

**Elizabeth: **Do we have any choice? That' the way of the pros.

**Maxwell: **Oh… OK… for today's episode, first thing first, we want to extend you all the authoress' apologies for delaying the chapter upload, but she had a few issues…. Cough-cough-cough-lazy bum-cough-cough…

**Elizabeth: **And so, as a form of apologize, she provided us footage of the difficulties she met in making this second chapter, all involving the final bits…

**Chapter 2 bloopers - Take 1: **The Kagayaku girls are in front of the control room in the facility. Tsukasa falls on the door and the group gets in. Instead of Stellar, they see a plain-looking kid with crazy light blue hair.

"Took ya long enough, girlies." He says, puffing.

"STOP!!" Shiki screams from her director's chair. "WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS?! WHO IS THAT KID!!"

"Whaddaya mean, who am I?! I'm Auel Neider, and I work with the psycho girl you recruited for this thing… I don't understand why… I mean, come on! I'm better, more sane, not to mention I wouldn't hesitate to use my powers to kill Kagayaku members! You can't do such a thing without me, I'm your man!!"

Shiki puffs and breaks a paper fan. "GET-OUT-OF-MY-SET!!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Auel says with a smirk. "Don't get so mad, grandma! You gonna get wrinkles!"

"G…GRANDMA?! Why you little…" Shiki is starting to get royally ticked off as a big guy with very short blond-greenish hair comes in and calls Auel "Mama's boy", causing him to start whining as a baby and drags him away as he sucks his own thumb.

"Someone brings me a STRONG aspirin…" Shiki says, massaging her temples.

**Chapter 2 Bloopers - Take 2: **"OK guys" Shiki says to the PS crew. "This is the most important bit. Do it well, do it with enthusiasm… you ready?"

Everybody says "YEAH!!" As Stellar is busy reading the script, a horrified look on her face.

Then later, the chapter arrives to the part where Kagayaku meet Stellar, but she's not on the set.

"STOP!! WHERE'S STELLAR?!" Shiki cries. Then she feels someone tapping her shoulder and turns around to see Stellar with an "ON STRIKE!" sign.

"Stellar… WHAT… is the meaning of this?!" The authoress snarls.

"Strike means strike. Stellar is on strike." Stellar says, nodding as she crosses her arms. "Here it says: Stellar must shoot herself to the head… Stellar won't do it! When you shoot yourself to the head you die… dying is bad… Stellar won't do this scene!!" She cries angrily as Shiki bangs her head on a wall.

Auel pops out once again: "Hey-hey! I'll do her scene!!"

Konata walks near to Auel and whispers: "Mama's boy…" causing him to run off, screaming.

"Thanks, Konata…" Shiki says as she spits the gun she was putting in her mouth.

**Elizabeth: **Are those kids all like this?... For some reason, I think we haven't seen the last of Auel…

**Maxwell: **At least we know how to deal him…hehehe, me? I don't have a block-word. Nuh-huh. I'm nigh invincible!

**Elizabeth: **Hmmmm… _(Approaches to Maxwell) _ Turpentine…

**Maxwell: **Tu…tu…turp… YAAAAAAAAAAAH!! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!! (_Falls on the floor with convulsions and foam coming out of his mouth)_

**Elizabeth: **Well, it worked more than expected. Well I'm afraid time has ran out, we have to bid you farewell… I hope to see you all next time… later days! (_To Maxwell) _OK, we're done… let's go… Er… Maxwell?? _(Pokes him) _Aw, he's totally KO… _(Drags him away as everyone walk away)_

_**The Velvet Room is deserted…**_

_**A lad in yellow with a leopard bandanna and one with green hair accompanied by two kitties walk inside**_

**Lad in Yellow: **_(Pants) _We…we're finally here… Hi everyone…

**Green-haired Lad: **Er… hey, there's no one here!

**Lad in Yellow: **If I only didn't get lost… AGAIN?! I wanted Akane-Chan to see me on TV! _(Cries)_

**Green-haired Lad: **Sorry, Ryouga… I can't help but feeling responsible…

**Black Kitty (Kuro): **It IS your fault… he got lost even more since he met you Masaki!

**White Kitty (Shiro): **You're both hopeless…

**Masaki: **SHUT UP!! 


	4. Chapter 3: A voice from the dark

CHAPTER 3: A voice in the dark

_**CHAPTER 3: A voice from the dark**_

**05/11/09**

"KONA-CHAAAAAAN!!"

The Kagayaku girls were walking together beyond the school entrance. They all felt rejuvenated after resting the whole Sunday right after the hard operation. They all turned in the direction of the gates, where the screaming male voice came from. Before Konata could say anything, she found herself being literally glomped by Junpei.

"Oh, Kona-Chan! Kona-Chan! So glad to see you! So good being alive!!" He joyfully said as he squeezed his senpai so tightly she could barely breathe. With a great effort, she lifted her head up to face her schoolmate who, for some reason, looked even more cheerful than usual, if possible. Confused, she asked what happened.

"Aww, you wouldn't believe me, even if I told you… but you can believe me when I say this: I thought I was a goner just a couple of days ago!"

Konata was about to ask more as she tried and set herself free from the lad's grasp, but Yukari came and interrupted both of them. "Jeeze, Stupei! That's not the way of addressing to a junior!"

Immediately he released Konata from his grasp and faced his classmate with sad puppy eyes. "That's so mean, Yuka-Tan… I told you to not call me like that!"

"Besides" Konata added, a bit annoyed. "I am a SENIOR, OK?"

Embarrassed, Yukari blushed as she pulled Junpei next to her, annoyance on her face. "ANYway… the only reason I call you Stupei, it's because you act stupid 24/7. What's with this outburst of energy?"

"What you talkin' about?! I'm always full of energy!" He replied, his smile broadening.

"…then I guess you wouldn't mind using some of that energy to study. Do I have to remind you we have EXAMS the next week?"

Junpei's shoulders sunk as his happy face turned into a sad frown. "…you just HAD to remind me, didn't ya?" he muttered as he walked upstairs, followed by his classmate. Once both were gone, Konata let out a sigh.

"He thought he was a goner? Hmm… wonder if it's related to the monorail incident the news were reporting about… if you think about it, it makes sense… since one of those shadows appeared there…" Kumiko mused.

Konata shook her head. "Geeze, what's her problem?...she's even more a nag than Kagamin here!"

"Yeah, she's a bit annoying" Kagami nodded. Then, realizing Konata was mocking her she spat back: "It's not me who's a nag, it's you who never work hard in anything!! Anyway, she has a point, you know… we're having exams soon… have you people been studying at all?" Konata faced her with a playful smile, about to say something, but before she could open her mouth, the pigtailed girl sighed and shook her head. "Why do I even bother asking YOU?"

Tsukasa pushed her fingertips together as she blushed. "I…I did try and study, but… I can't seem to be able to follow my schedule for a reason or another…"

"I don't have time for this stuff…" Kumiko simply shrugged, causing Kagami to drop her head in disbelief.

**05/18/09**

The first day of the 1st semester midterm exams. All Kagayaku members struggled the whole week in order to balance the Tartarus exploration and study sessions, so they all were unsure about the outcome… maybe except for Kagami who skipped Tartarus the whole week and Miyuki who has been studying her whole spare time.

As the girls were discussing before the exams, they saw Shinn and Athrun walking closer to them. The latter was taking them as entry exams so to be admitted within the school. Although an unusual procedure, this was only possible due to Rei talking directly to the principal. Unlike Shinn, who didn't look like being able to sleep much, Athrun looked quite relaxed and confident.

"If I manage to get the highest grades in my homeroom" he said, approaching to Miyuki "I want you to go out with me."

The lad moved an arm to Miyuki but before getting to touch her, he felt something hitting the rear of his head as he fell, face-first, on the floor. Shinn could barely stifle a laugh as he saw Athrun being literally booted to the head and wished he had a camera to record the whole scene.

Then the school bell rang. "Move out, you'll be late!" Shinn said, walking over Athrun, who was still on the floor and running to the school gates.

**05/23/09**

Exams were finally over.

"Are you OK, Kumi-Chan?" Tsukasa asked her classmate, whose head was leaning on the Kotobuki Hotel lobby table. The girl didn't reply, she simply let go a long and weak moan. "Wow… I've never seen Kumi-Chan like that…"

"Geeze, give her a break…" Shinn muttered, resting his chin on the table. "I think we're all exhausted after that stuff…"

"Mine went smoothly… I'm positive I had a great score." Athrun nodded, proud. "But I didn't find them so hard to be as devastated as you are, Kumiko…"

"It's not just exams…" Kumiko said, slowly lifting her head. "I also had to put up with Sanada-Kun and his rambling… he told me he has found another Persona-user to join their team."

Kagami cupped her chin, doubtful. "Is it OK for him to tell YOU about this?"

"Kagayaku and SEES don't work together, but that doesn't make us enemies or rivals… we simply are two groups doing things their own way, working their own way to fix this mess." The girl in blue explained.

"You said a new Persona-user? Is this user another student of our school?" Miyuki asked.

Kumiko nodded. "So it seems… but I don't know her very well… if I recall, her name was… Fuuka Yamagishi."

Shinn jolted as soon as he heard the name. The girl named Fuuka was one of his classmates; although he rarely saw her at school, he remembered her as a frail and inward girl who was often sick. Definitely not the kind of girl you'd see into a battle. That wasn't all: he also remembered of one time he protected her from a group of other classmates who were teasing and bullying her. He remembered the helpless look in her eyes, which melted his heart. _But… letting such a girl as Fuuka to get involved into this mess… what is SEES thinking?_

"So she isn't just a cute girl, but also one with the potential, huh…" Rei remarked as he walked downstairs, a luggage in his hand.

"Ah, Kuro-Sensei!" Athrun said, freezing as the teacher faced him with an ice-cold gaze.

"That's KUROHAGANE-Sensei to you." Then, to Kumiko. "I have to go for a couple of weeks because of… um… some business with the RK… I'm leaving the hotel and Kagayaku business to you. I'm sure you'll have no problem managing everything… I mean, you had no problems so far."

"HUH?! But Sens-"

"See you in two weeks!" He said with a slight smile as he shut the hotel door. Frustrated, Kumiko dropped her head back on the table.

**05/25/09**

"HEY, THE RESULTS ARE POSTED!" One of the students said aloud as he rushed inside the classrooms during lunchtime. Immediately, all the other students went and check the results of their own exams.

As to be expected, Miyuki scored among the highest in the school; Kagami scored quite high; even Konata managed to do well, although she didn't really study much, while Tsukasa's score was about average.

Noticing that Kumiko wasn't looking at the results, Miyuki asked her if she wanted her to look instead; the girl in blue shook her head and after hesitating, she looked at the board, sighing in relief when she saw that her score was above average.

"Hey, what about Shinn-Kun?" Tsukasa then asked, checking the board once more. After realizing she was looking at the seniors' scores, she moved to check the juniors' ones. It took her a while but she finally found Shinn's score: slightly above average.

"Yeah, it's not much…" he said nonchalantly "…but I wasn't planning to get a high score. That's the only reason."

Then, they all heard a scream. Immediately the turned around to see Akihiko, who was checking the seniors' scored, his finger shakily pointing a particular name.

Kagami placed both hands at her own waist and smirked. "What's wrong, Sanada? You failed?"

"Hah! Just for you to know, I scored well, thank you." He replied, narrow-eyed.

"Then what are you…"

"Look at THIS!" he pointed at Athrun's name. "Who IS this Zala guy? I never saw him around and here he pops out, getting the highest score!"

"Well, what do you know…" Konata remarked as she saw it herself. "He wasn't bluffing then…". She then pushed Akihiko away to shield him from a swarm of girls dashing to Athrun, who just arrived to check the scores.

"Aww, Zala-Senpai! You're so smart!" A girl said.

"Smart and handsome… you're perfect!" Another one added.

"Zala-Kun… would you mind going out with me?" A third girl asked.

Akihiko didn't look too pleased by that show. "Tch… what a show-off…" he muttered.

"What? I thought you weren't interested in girls!" Konata said with a smart smile.

"That's not the point. I don't like the fact of being overshadowed by the last newcomer…" _Athrun Zala…I accept your challenge! We'll see which one of us will be the last standing on the ring!_

The commotion in the hall suddenly stopped as Mitsuru stepped in the crowd of students and walked to Athrun. "Zala, isn't it?" she asked. "You're just arrived in this school and already your performance is remarkable. I am mostly impressed."

Immediately Athrun started observing the red-haired girl thoroughly. Her incredibly good looks caused him to smile, satisfied. "Why, thank you, my dear" he replied as he approached her and placed a hand around her shoulders. "You performed greatly yourself… I'm sure we have a lot in common…"

Kumiko was about to react and stop him, but Mitsuru was quicker than her and immediately stabbed him with her rapier, leaving him bleeding on the floor as she walked away. "Forgive me, but I have to take care of a few matters for the student council. Adieu." She coldly said as she walked away while the others carried him to the nurse's office.

**05/29/09**

Kumiko was heading towards the sport clubs in order to attend her training with the swim team. Once she was in the backyard, she met with Yukari, but the two of them didn't really talk to each other, not going beyond greeting each other. As they walked to the clubs, they both spotted two girls talking in an annoyingly cheerful way: one was a very tall tanned brunette wearing a black vest over her white school uniform shirt; the other one had short pigtails and wore some black and white striped stockings. Both were laughing noisily.

"So" the brunette started to tell, quite amused "I pretended to take a picture with my cell phone… then she freaked out and started to cry as if it was the end of the world! It was SO fun to watch!"

"Oh my GAWD!" The other girl remarked.

The brunette continued, laughing. "I never laughed so hard in all my life!" then both started laughing even harder.

"Are they making fun of someone?" Yukari asked more herself than Kumiko.

"So it appears…" Kumiko answered. Although she looked cold, she was quite irate, since she hated that kind of stuff.

Suddenly, the brunette's friend stopped laughing, claiming she heard a voice as her stare got lost into the void.

"Hey? Maki! What's wrong?!" The brunette called her friend back to reality and the two of them resumed their annoying chat.

**05/30/09**

A pack of students gathered together to discuss about something which looked quite important.

"Hey, did you hear it?"

"Yeah, it appears a girl from 2-E…"

"Quite sinister…"

"Wonder what happened…"

As they were talking about that, even the Kagayaku girls were gathered around a desk, talking.

"Geeze, rumors are really fast spreading… especially in schools!" Kagami said, scratching the rear of her back.

"What rumor?" Tsukasa quietly tilted her head in an interrogative way

"Didn't you hear it, Tsukasa?" Konata said, her face darkening. Then, in a sinister tone: "Well they say… a girl from 2-E mysteriously disappeared last night… and this morning… they found her right at the school entrance, unconscious!"

Tsukasa shuddered. "Oh dear…! I've heard that when a rumor spreads so fast, some sort of curse makes it become true…"

Konata shook her head. "No, that's Innocent Sin Online."

"Maybe we should do something about it…" Miyuki said to Kumiko, concerned, as she fixed her glasses on her nose.

Kumiko kept on sketching, as if she didn't care. "Is this really something we seniors should worry about?" she asked, coldly, not lifting her head from her sketches.

Miyuki placed both hands on Kumiko's desk. Although quiet-looking, there were something about her hinting she was getting angry. "This could be related to the shadows somehow! If that's the case, then we HAVE to do something… and besides… 2-E is Asuka-San's homeroom! We can't just ignore it… Please, Fukuyama-San…"

Kumuko shrugged. "Maybe we could let SEES to handle things. It's THEIR job taking care of the shadows, not ours... but on something you're right… if that girl's from 2-E… I doubt Shinn will sit and watch… (Troublesome kid…)"

As Kumiko was uttering these words, Shinn rushed inside their classroom and to the quintet, saying he had important news. When they asked what that was about he answered: "I talked to one of my teachers and I came to know something about my missing classmate, and – Now that's the craziest part! – she's one of those annoying girls who have fun bullying another classmate of mine. Coincidence? I don't think so…"

**06/02/09**

Shinn was getting out of his classroom to get some crab bread for lunch. As he was about to walk downstairs, his attention was caught by someone calling him. Immediately, he turned around to face Yukari.

"You a 2-E student, right?" she asked, serious.

Shinn simply nodded, although he seemed a bit confused.

"I think you know this, but my name is Yukari Takeba. I'm currently investigating on the ghost rumor. I wondered if, as a 2-E student, you knew anything about it…"

Shinn glanced at her and then started walking downstairs. Yukari rushed to him, trying to stop him. He graced him with an impudent smile. "A ghost rumor is nothing more than a ghost rumor… you shouldn't fret about it. It's childish." He remarked as he kept on walking, causing the girl to violently blush.

Immediately she stepped in front of him, almost causing him to fall off the stairs. "Listen! Don't you wanna know what happened to your missing classmate?"

Shinn shook his head, annoyed. "Why should I care about someone like her, who has fun picking on those weaker? Ah, for the record, since you seem so desperate about it… it's not just her who disappeared… I DID made some researches…it was her and two more girls… That's all I know. Satisfied? Now will you let me go get something to eat?" He said as he walked past Yukari.

"Wait!" She called for him again. "Did those girls have something in common?"

Instantly, Shinn stopped on his tracks and started reflecting about the matter. _Come to think… those girls… all of them were among the ones bullying that girl… can't be just a coincidence… and… come to think… I wonder what happened to that girl… I haven't seen here since… hope she's OK… _"Yukari… was it? I think I changed my mind… I want to know the truth about it."

Yukari clasped both her hands together. "Perfect! We'll search for news separately… then, in a three days, we'll put all of our information together!" Although confident, Yukari looked quite upset about the whole matter… Shinn wondered if she was really believing it was a ghost.

**06/05/09**

Konata was just back from the Book On bookstore, accompanied by Kumiko, Kagami, Tsukasa and Miyuki. They saw Shinn tinkering with a laptop on the Kotobuki Hotel lobby table. When he was asked what he was doing, the lad answered. "I'm putting together all the info I gathered so far about this ghost and the disappearance of my classmate. Later, I'll discuss it with that Yukari girl, since we're cooperating on the investigation…"

"You sure take this ghost nonsense seriously…" Kagami shrugged.

"I'm not doing it for that missing bitch! I want to know what happened to the girl she was bullying, that's all."

"So? What did you find out, Asuka-San?" Miyuki asked, approaching to the computer.

"Well according to all my researches so far, the girl everyone were talking about as this rumor started wasn't the only one. It was actually three of them. All of these girls were hospitalized and this must have caused quite a stir. Now, only the girl named Maki was from 2-E… the other ones were from other classes… but they had something in common: all of them used to hang out together! I guess there's no need for me to say they didn't exactly hang around with good companies, but…well, you get the idea."

"Wow… you sure gathered a lot of info in these few days…" Kumiko remarked, as she crossed her arms.

Shinn nodded proudly. Then his cell phone started ringing and he immediately answered the call. After less than a minute he was done and faced the rest of the Kagayaku crew. "It was Yukari. She said we should do some field investigation to get more clues."

"Where to?" Tsukasa asked.

"According to Yukari, those girls used to be regulars in a certain place: it's a back alley behind the Port Island Station."

Both Kumiko and Kagami jolted. "Are you saying you're going THERE?! By NIGHT?!" Kagami asked, upset.

"Kagami's right… that place is no good… don't you know that's where all the thugs and punks gather together? Besides, just you and Takeba are planning to go there…!" Kumiko added.

"Well, I just said I would have gone, so I can't take it back." Shinn puffed.

Kumiko shook her head. "Well I can't allow you to go there by yourself… I don't care about this ghost business, but if I allowed you to get in some sort of trouble… it's my responsibility as the team leader to prevent this… I'm coming with you."

Konata raised a hand. "Me too! This whole story sounds so exciting..."

Kagami shook her head. "Well don't count on me… I won't have nothing to do with punks, thank you!" she said as both Miyuki and Tsukasa shyly nodded.

**06/06/09**

Yukari and Shinn decided that was the day for their field research. Both groups agreed to meet each other in front of the Iwatodai dorm. As Shinn and the others walked to the dorm, they noticed Yukari wasn't alone; in fact, she was accompanied by Kenji and Junpei.

"Oh, so you're coming too?" she said. "Well, the more the merrier."

"Please, Kumiko-Senpai…" Junpei pleaded. "You too, Kona-Chan… please talk her out of this! This CAN'T end well, I just know!"

Yukari sighed. "Will you stop whining? OK, it's a little 'dangerous'… it will be an adventure!"

"Sounds more like a suicide mission to me…" Junpei remarked, scratching the rear of his head.

Konata chuckled. "Aw, you're such a worrier. It's alright! We have so many people…"

With that, the six of them headed to the back alley in Port Island Station. Once they arrived, they were greeted by the strong smell of booze, smoke and some other dirty thing I'd rather not write about. A bunch of punks, both male and female, faced them with their not-reassuring smirks.

"Check out those rags… they're from Gekko High!" one of the punks said. "You're in the wrong place, kids…"

"Yeah!" another punk added, looking at Junpei. "You don't belong in here. So beat it, Goatee!"

"We don't need your permission to stay here!" Yukari declared. And then, when Junpei tried to hush her: "I won't get intimidated by this scum!"

"Scum, huh?" a tough-looking girl said as she smoked more of her cigarette. "Well you'll see… we'll post some pics of you that will make your daddy cry! You'll regret to be born!"

Then one of the punks moved to punch Junpei into the stomach, but he was promptly stopped by Konata. He tried to attack her, but she was quicker and delivered a Shoryuken-ish uppercut to him, causing him to fall on his back.

"You little bitch… I'll make ya pay for that…" He said wiping a streak of blood off his chin as the other punks approached the group.

Kumiko muttered something unintelligible, throwing an ice-cold stare to the closest punk. Kenji did the same as he braced himself.

Then a deep voice from behind the punks. "That's enough.". Everyone faced in the direction the voice came from and saw a familiar-looking guy wearing a red coat and a dark beanie, walking slowly to the group, both hands in his pockets. "They didn't know what they were getting into. I'll make sure they'll leave, alright?"

The punk Konata punched angrily spat at him. "Dammit! Who do you think you are, dumbass?! You want some too?!"

The shady person sighed as he pierced through the punk with his stare. "…I guess being pummelled by that little girl isn't enough of an humiliation to you…"

With that, the punk charged to the newcomer, who promptly countered with a violent head butt, causing him to fall down, again.

"Dammit, Shinjiro! It's because you're from Gekko High yourself?! I thought you were one of us!" Another punk cried, causing Kumiko to wince. _Shinjiro… Aragaki…?! So it's REALLY him…_ she thought.

Shinjiro didn't reply. He simply glanced at the punk: a scary, piercing glance. Immediately, the punk ran away spitting empty threats as his other companions followed him.

Meanwhile the six teenagers were still in awe. Seeing that no one was reacting, Kumiko decided to talk, hoping she could lift her doubts about this Aragaki person. "Um… I…"

"Are you stupid or something?!" He angrily said at her before starting to leave. "Why did you bother bringing these people here?... go home, this is no place for you."

"This WASN'T my idea!" she spat back. "If we came here, there IS a reason!"

Shinjiro stopped on his tracks and examined the bunch. "You… were at the hospital… did Aki tell you to come here?"

Shinn shook his head. "We came here of our own will."

"Speak for yerself…" Junpei muttered.

"…it's about the ghost, isn't it?" Aragaki asked, sitting down on the stairs as Yukari asked about how he knew about it. "It's a rumor. The girls who wound up in the hospital came here every night… talking shit about how they messed with this girl named Fuuka."

"Fuuka!" Junpei's mind snapped as he looked at Shinn. "She's from 2-E, right? Your classroom… did you know about her being bullied?"

Shinn nodded as he clenched his fists. "But what is this about… the disappearance of the girls and Fuuka…?!"

"That's why they say it was all done by Fuuka's spirit… it's all over the net too." Shinjiro continued.

"…you don't mean…" Kumiko frowned.

"That's right. That Fuuka girl might be dead by now."

This last remark caused everyone to gasp. It was followed by some seconds of silence, which was broken by Shinn. "I REFUSE to believe it!! How… how can you say such a thing?! Quit joking around, you…" he couldn't finish the phrase, since Shinjiro threw a piercing stare at him from under his beanie, literally freezing him.

"…aren't you her classmate? How can you NOT know this?! She's been gone since over a week. Didn't you even wonder?" the shady lad asked Shinn.

Shinn lowered his head, biting his lower lip. "It's true… I know nothing of this whole story… this is why I wanna know! I HAVE to know what happened to Fuuka!"

"Isn't Mr. Ekoda your homeroom teacher?" Yukari asked. "Maybe he could know something. Ask him, Shinn…"

With that, Shinjiro stood up and prepared to leave, saying it was everything he knew. All and six of them bowed to thank him.

"You were of great help… thanks, Aragaki-Kun…" Kumiko said with a slight smile.

Shinjiro quietly nodded. "Don't come back again.". Then he watched the six students walking back home. Once they were far enough, he lifted his head to face the moon. _I get it, Aki… you're still trying to make up for the past… and you say it's me who can't let it go…_

_**Shinjiro Aragaki: **__Seemingly a student from Gekkoukan High School who became some sort of a street punk for some unknown reason. Although looking scary, he doesn't seem like being a bad person. The fact he can move within the Dark Hour hints he might be a Persona-user, but his powers still remain a mystery. His name seems to remind Kumiko of someone she knew. He also seems like being friends (Yeah, just FRIENDS. Sorry, Yaoi fangirls) with Akihiko._

**06/08/09**

During lunchtime, Shinn decided as first thing to go and talk directly to Mr. Ekoda, his homeroom teacher, so he walked downstairs to the faculty office as soon as he went out of the classroom. As he opened the office's door, he noticed he wasn't alone: alongside with the teacher, he could see Athrun, Mitsuru and the juniors he went to the back alley two nights earlier. He also saw another one of his classmates: a tall, tanned brunette. Immediately, Shinn approached the group.

"What are you doing here?" He asked to Athrun.

"Well, some girls I hung around with lately were begging me to do something about this whole ghost business, so… after hearing about your adventure, I decided to take action. When Mitsuru told me she was going to talk directly to the girl's teacher, I came here with her. She'd better appreciate…" The blue-haired senior replied as he placed a hand in his hair as Mitsuru shook her head.

Then, Shinn turned to face the brunette. Immediately, he frowned. "Moriyama? I should have known you had something to do with this mess…"

"NO!" The girl named Moriyama cried, covering her head. "I… I didn't want things to go this way… Fuuka…!"

Mitsuru stepped forward, asking her what she have done with Yamagishi, but Ekoda hushed her. "This isn't an interrogation. Natsuki, you don't have to talk if you don't want to. You wouldn't want to give her the wrong impression…"

Natsuki's body was shaking violently, her eyes staring at the floor. "Fuuka… she always looked so frazzled whenever I gave her a hard time… then I realized… she might be a honor student but she's like us after all… I knew exactly what buttons to push… that day too… it was May 29th… we locked Fuuka inside the gym…" she started to talk, shakily.

As soon as he heard about Fuuka being locked in the gym, Shinn spat: "You did WHAT?!"

"Quiet! I'll handle her!" Athrun said as he looked at him, strict. Then he faced Natsuki with softer eyes. "What happened then?"

Natsuki continued her story: "That night, Maki went back to school… she was afraid Fuuka would have committed suicide, putting all of us in trouble… she never came back… and the next morning…"

"… she was found unconscious by the school gates." Yukari ended her phrase.

Natsuki nodded. After taking some breath, she continued: "I went to the gym to let Fuuka out, but the door was still locked, so I opened… when I went inside… Fuuka wasn't there… we all freaked out and so, we decided to search for her… starting that night… but… every night… another one of us went missing… ending up just like Maki!"

After hearing the story, Shinn softened a bit. Yeah, he was mad at Natsuki and her friend for making such a bad thing to Fuuka… but now, this girl looked like feeling bad about everything, feeling guilty.

Mitsuru nodded and then faced the teacher, a cold light in her eyes. "By the way, Mr. Ekoda… you must have been aware that Yamagishi wasn't simply ill… that she was actually missing… what was your intention?"

Ekoda rose his head, upset. "I was thinking of the students, of course! Maybe you kids wouldn't understand, but we have to think about the future of everyone involved!"

"…so you choose to not report the police for the 'good of the class'?"

Ekoda started sweating, his eyes shifting from place to place. "I…it was in her best interest as well! We couldn't allow her records to be stained by something like that!"

Shinn couldn't stand this any longer. He felt rage and disgust due to what his own homeroom teacher did. He couldn't help but let his feelings go out. "I… I can't believe it! Are you saying you willingly ignored the whole matter so to cover your ass?! You didn't raise a finger to help one of YOUR PUPILS just to have your career protected?! YOU…!!" He angrily spat.

Mitsuru halted the youth with a gesture of her hand, as she kept on looking at the teacher, her eyes as piercing as an ice needle. "Calm down, Asuka. Don't worry: I'll make sure such a despicable behaviour won't pass unpunished…" then, she asked Natsuki if she noticed something strange about her missing friends.

"Yes…" Natsuki stuttered. "They said they heard a voice… a creepy voice…calling out their names… right before they went missing…"

Mitsuru took by part Kenji, Yukari and Junpei, talking in a very low, almost impossible to hear voice. Shinn could still hear, though. "It's 'them', no doubt about it… there was no way to tell how or why some people are conscious during the Dark Hour so far, but… it's no random phenomenon, the voice lures them in. It's clear: 'they' are targeting humans. Shadows are mankind's enemies." After that, she told Natsuki to stay in their dorm, so she would have been safe, telling everyone else to meet in the student council room to talk about the matter.

As everyone else was going out of the faculty office, Shinn called out Mitsuru, who stopped to face him. "Asuka… I know you're concerned about Yamagishi… please don't be: she'll be fine."

Shinn shook his head and stared into the girls' eyes. "That's not what I meant… I… you're going to rescue Fuuka, right? Please, let me come with you!"

Athrun gasped."That's not possible, I'm afraid." Mitsuru calmly answered, shaking her head. "This is not a simple matter, there's not much you can do about it."

"B…but there IS!" Shinn cried, clenching his fists. "I know about you… and shadows… and everything! Kumiko told me everything about it! It's because… I'm just like you myself!"

Next to him, Athrun was frantically gesturing him to stop talking. _Are you crazy?! That's not part of our…_

"Me and Kumiko… and other people here… we have our own group of Persona-users! I'm sure they'll be willing to help if I ask them… so please…"

Mitsuru didn't reply immediately: she kept on looking at Shinn and thinking. He looked desperate enough to rise a hell about the whole situation, and she was also wondering about the nature of this second group of Persona-users… but she knew Kumiko: although she acted like a loner who doesn't take crap from anybody, she was a trustworthy ally and helped SEES in some occasions. After a few seconds of reflection, she answered: "…we'll meet in the student council room after school. Be sure to tell Fukuyama and the others…" Then she walked away.

Once Mitsuru was gone, Athrun grabbed both Shinn's shoulders. "Shinn, are you gone insane?!" He hissed. "Revealing about our group to SEES…!!"

"Didn't you hear what Kumiko said earlier?! He said SEES and Kagayaku aren't enemies! Why fretting about both teams working together?!"

"But that's not part of our duty! Our orders are to act independently from SEES, we can't get involved in their business!"

Meanwhile, Kumiko was walking closer to them.

"So…" Shinn replied, raising his voice, gradually. "…it's OK letting a girl in trouble as long as you follow orders?! Sorry, but I don't buy it! I can't…"

"Something wrong?" Kumiko asked, walking to the group.

"Ah, Kumiko!" Athrun released his grasp on Shinn's shoulders to face the girl. "Please, talk Make him reason! He's gone insane! He just proposed SEES and Kagayaku to work together in this whole thing! I'm sure there will be consequences…"

Shinn angrily glanced at Athrun. "You'd rather let Fuuka…?!"

"Whoa, whoa! You're making no sense…" Kumiko frantically waved both hands. "Start from the beginning!"

With that, both started telling her about the bullies, Fuuka and the shadows being involved… and how Shinn proposed to let Kagayaku help SEES in solving the mystery and rescuing Fuuka. After hearing the whole story, Kumiko rested her head on a hand and sighed. After a few seconds, she glanced as Shinn. "You realize, of course… that you're involving the whole team because of your own problem, don't you?"

Shinn hesitated for a moment. "Yes, but…"

Kumiko hushed him with a hand. "…but I recognize that we could get some extra info for OUR mission as well… and I have to admit I'm worried about this Fuuka girl myself… and… yeah, I said we're not enemies, so… I don't see why we shouldn't lend those kids a hand."

"But Kumiko…" Athrun interrupted. "What about Kurohagane-Sensei?"

Kumiko shrugged. "He's not here, right? He put me in charge of things, remember? So, Shinn… where do we have to meet them?"

Shinn smiled with a slight blush. "Y…yes! The student council room, after school! I'll go fetch the others!" He merrily said before walking upstairs.

"…you're the leader so I won't discuss your orders… I just hope you know what you're doing." Athrun muttered as he walked the opposite way.

Once both were gone Kumiko leaned her head on the closest wall, letting out a very deep sigh of frustration. _Dammit, Rei-Sensei! Thanks for putting all the burden on MY shoulders… Thanks a lot!… what do you expect me to do?!_

_**Natsuki Moriyama: **__A student from 2-E. She's one of Shinn's classmates and one of the girls who had fun bullying Fuuka. She and Shinn don't get much along because of this, but she seems like feeling bad about what she did to Fuuka. _

--

"Whoa! So THIS is your group, Shinn??" Junpei gasped as soon as all the Kagayaku members entered inside the student council room. "Holy shit, dude! You got all the nicest girls in your group! Kona-Chan, Miyuki-Senpai, Kumiko-Senpai… MAN, I wanna switch teams!!"

"No one's preventing you from leaving… come on, go! Good riddance…" Yukari muttered, bitter.

"Aww, you jealous?" Both him and Konata said with a playful smile.

"You GOTTA be KIDDING!" The girl in pink cried.

"Well I'll be…" Akihiko mumbled, scratching his cheek. "To think I had Persona-users right under my nose… most of them are classmates of mine!... but I didn't expect THEM…"

Kagami angrily glanced at him. "What, you think we're not tough enough for this?!"

"Well… er…"

Mitsuru clapped hands several times to call everyone to attention. The last ones to stop talking were Tsukasa and Kenji who, a few seconds later, faced the girl letting out an embarrassed chuckle.

"Tonight, we'll infiltrate the campus to save Fuuka Yamagishi." Mitsuru proclaimed.

"You mean Fuuka is inside the school?" Junpei asked.

Kumiko nodded. "Quite probable. But there's a problem: chances are she was stuck in the gym the whole night… and you know what happens to this school by midnight… she'll probably stuck somewhere inside Tartarus now."

"But it's been ten days ago! That means…" Junpei gasped.

"Let's not assume the worst." Akihiko shook his head. "Tartarus appears only in the Dark Hour, right? What about the rest of the day? Now, this is just a theory… but… time might work in a different way inside Tartarus…"

Miyuki's mind snapped. "You mean…it was just ten hours inside Tartarus instead of ten days?"

He nodded. "If I'm right, then she's still alive… somewhere in there."

"Kenji-Kun? Do you understand?" Tsukasa asked, clearly confused.

Kenji scratched a cheek, perplexed. "Er… nope." He whispered back.

"But the Dark Hour is pretty brutal…" Junpei said, thoughtful. "We can barely handle one hour, how could she last TEN?"

"And supposedly she IS still alive" Yukari added "We might not be able to get to her…"

What happened next was quite unexpected and cause everyone in the room to gasp, not expecting such a reaction: Akihiko faced both Junpei and Yukari and angrily spat: "Are you just gonna let her die then?!" _Sanada-Kun…?!_ Kagami thought. She never saw him getting that upset and that left her astonished.

"He's right!" Shinn cried. "We can't know for sure unless we try!!"

After calming down a bit, Akihiko added: "…I have an idea. Let's try and enter Tartarus from where Fuuka did. We go to the gym and wait for midnight."

"Is it really gonna work?" Yukari asked, doubtful.

"It is risky… if something goes wrong, you could end up lost in Tartarus yourselves…" Mitsuru mused, cupping her chin.

"We HAVE to risk!" Akihiko replied, decisive. "I… I could never forgive myself if I didn't take a chance to save her, even when as slim as this. If you guys won't come, then I'll go by myself."

For an instance, Shinn could feel as if this SEES member was similar to him: he looked like having the very same feelings motivating him to help Fuuka, and wondered about him having lost someone dear himself. Decisive, he nodded and stepped next to his silver-haired Senpai. "You can count of me. I, too, wouldn't forgive myself should something happen to Fuuka…"

"You guys…" Kagami started, confused, not knowing how to end the phrase. _What's wrong with them?! They're so serious about rescuing the girl…_

Mitsuru sighed. "…alright. We know the risks but… we can't just abandon her. What's your opinion, Fukuyama?"

Kumiko crossed her arms with a smirk. "Heh… I have no objections… besides, this whole operation looks more thrilling than I expected… I can feel it."

"OK, OK, it's all cool and all" Kagami interrupted as she shrugged. "…but seriously, how are we going to sneak inside the school by night?"

Junpei rubbed under his nose as he left out a smart cackle. "Just leave that to me! I know the right stuff!..."

"Alright then…" Tsukasa nodded, although he still didn't sound positive.

Kumiko shook her head. "Sorry, Tsukasa, you're not coming with us… we need someone to watch over that girl named Moriyama back to the dorm… I don't exactly feel comfortable letting her alone… Is that OK with you?"

"I don't see why not…" Mitsuru replied.

"But Hiiragi… all by herself…" Akihiko said, cupping his chin.

"That's why I want Athrun to stay back with her… we don't have enough men in the team and Shinn looks like wanting to take part to the rescue mission." Kumiko said, a hand on her side. "Could you please escort the two of them to the dorm?"

As everyone started walking outside, Kagami called her sister and put a hand on her shoulder, saying: "Tsukasa… please be very, very careful… and DON'T let a certain someone to get too close to you…"

"Hey, I wouldn't fret about it…" Athrun puffed. "I'm not interested in flat-chested girls… OUCH!" he said as Konata kicked him in the shin, causing him to cower on the ground.

--

It was past 11 pm when both SEES and Kagayaku met inside the school. Sneaking inside the school was pretty easy, due to Junpei unlocking the door beforehand, which caused Mitsuru to compliment with him, although he didn't really understand the meaning of the expression "Tres bien". Later, both groups gathered inside a classroom.

"Can't we turn the lights on?" Yukari asked, tense.

"Aw, You scared, Yuka-Tan?" Junpei asked in a mocking tone.

"Shut up, Stupei!" She said frantically waving her arms.

Konata glanced at her, gracing her with an incredibly playful smile. "Yep. She's scared alright."

Yukari looked even more upset. "I… I'M TELLING YOU, I'M NOT!! I…I just don't like sneaking around…"

The small, blue-haired girl started to chuckle. "You oughta see the look on your face… it's priceless! You know, I think you're even funnier to tease than Kagamin!"

"Keep quiet, Konata! They'll hear us out!" Kagami whispered, annoyed.

As first thing, everyone decided to split up so to find the gym keys: the seniors to the janitor's room and the juniors to the faculty office… then Mitsuru realized that Junpei could plan something unscrupulous as looking for the test answers and decided to take him along.

After finding the key to the gym, everyone met downstairs. Mitsuru said they would have split in two groups again: first thing first, once inside Tartarus, Kagayaku and SEES would have searched for Fuuka individually, as Mitsuru, Miyuki and another SEES member would have stayed outside at the entrance for support, so to determine Fuuka's exact position.

"Alright then…" Akihiko thought aloud, counting on his fingertips. "That makes me… Kenji, of course, since he's the leader… and…"

Yukari was about to propose herself but Junpei came before her. "Oh, me! Me! Gimme the chance to make up for the monorail!"

"Hey, it's not just about YOU!" Yukari complained.

"It's not just about YOU neither, princess…" Konata mumbled with a smart expression.

"What is it, Yukari?" Akihiko asked with a slight smile. "You don't want to stay out with Mitsuru?"

"I think she's jealous…" Konata nodded.

--

It was the Dark Hour by then. Athrun and Tsukasa were both sitting on the couch within the dorm's lounge. Tsukasa left out a worried sigh.

"Don't worry so much, Tsukasa… your sister and the others are no pushovers…" Athrun reassured her as he sipped his hot coffee. Although it was the Dark Hour, he looked quite calm. "If ever, you should worry about Shinn putting everyone in danger..."

Tsukasa quietly shook her head. "I'm not worried… I trust sis and the others…it's just so spooky in this dorm during the Dark Hour… looks like a ghost story… it creeps me."

Athrun put his cup down and rose on his feet. "Don't worry. I'm here, so nothing's going to hurt you!"

"T…thanks…" she blushed.

Then both's attention was caught by a noise and they faced towards the staircases: they saw Natsuki, slowly walking away.

"Ah, Natsuki-Chan! You shouldn't leave your room!" Tsukasa said, walking to her.

"Wait… something's not right…" he refrained her.

Natsuki didn't reply. She stared upwards, her eyes lost into the nothingness.

"Fuu…ka.. must… meet… tell… her… story…" she mumbled, as if she was possessed by something.

Feeling something dangerous about her, the blue-haired young man immediately put himself between the two girls so to shield Tsukasa. As Natsuki looked in their direction, they felt a strong gust of wind knocking them towards the farthest wall. Immediately, Athrun held the girls' body and shielded her from the impact, taking it instead. As both remained stunned on the floor, Natsuki kept on walking outside.

A minute passed. With a great effort, Tsukasa pushed Athrun's away and examined him: it appeared the impact knocked him down! _Oh… oh! Oh no!! what am I to do now?! Natsuki is gone and now Athrun… what am I to do?!_

--

It took her a while, but Kagami finally managed to reopen her eyes. Still light-headed, she rose up in a sitting position and passed a hand over her eyes and looked around. _This is… inside Tartarus…? _All she remembered was everything turning black as soon as the Dark Hour arrived. And here she was, inside Tartarus… but… WHERE inside Tartarus? And… where was everyone else?

Immediately, she reached for her transceiver, calling out Miyuki. But her voice was soon covered by another one she never heard, asking she was either human or not. What could that be? Kagami looked all around herself to see if there was no one there. Then she saw someone, unconscious, on the floor, a few meters away from her. Immediately, she rushed to the person, gasping when she realized it was Akihiko! Immediately she bent over him and softly shook him to wake him up.

"Sanada-Kun? Sanada-Kun! Come on, wake up!" she called out as she kept on shaking him. At first, he left out a moan and then his eyes snapped open as he immediately sat on the floor. "Phew… I thought you weren't going to wake up… Don't make me worry that way again!" She yelled at him; although she sounded angry, her eyes could tell she was relieved.

"Hiiragi? W…what are you doing here? And… where are Iori, Shugo and the others?" He asked, resting his head on a hand.

She shook her head. "I don't know… I guess we got separated when the Dark Hour occurred… I also tried to contact Miyuki-San, but… for some reason, I couldn't…"

"…I see…" He mumbled as he stood up, looking outside. _Well it didn't exactly go as I expected, but hey! It worked, didn't it? _He then turned around to Kagami, who looked quite worried._ But… now I have endangered her… I was careless. _"H…hey, don't worry about a thing, Hiiragi! If we're safe, then everyone else must be."

Kagami didn't reply. She simply nodded.

Akihiko sighed, as he faced the opposite direction, where the path forked. "…say, I'm sorry about this incident… it was because of me that this mess happened… I didn't want to get you and your friends involved… nor I'll blame you if you're mad at me… but…"

"Sanada-Kun…" Kagami slightly blushed.

"I won't allow anything to happen to you… not as long as you are close to me… I'll protect you!"

This last statement caused both to gasp and look at each other. Immediately, both swayed their gazes and blushed violently, with him wondering about what he just said and why.

"May I ask you something?" Kagami asked, breaking the silence.

"Huh? Sure."

"I never saw you acting like that before… you looked so desperate for this whole matter… I wondered why…"

Akihiko walked a little farther, without meeting her gaze and lowered his head. After a few seconds, he started to talk: "…there was someone important to me who died, and I didn't have enough power to help her… I won't make the same mistake. I'll do everything to prevent it from happening again!"

Then he violently shook his head and walked forward. "Come on now… let's go look for everyone!"

"Wah…wait for me!" Kagami cried as she ran after him.

--

"Hello…?"

He didn't react.

"Hellooo??"

No reaction again.

"WAKE UP!!"

As if he just woke up from a long dream, Kenji rubbed his own eyes and looked around, still groggy. "Ugh… where…where…where am I?" he mumbled, still half-asleep.

"Are you awake?" The voice was light yet piercing like a hiss. Instantly, the lad turned around to face its owner: a pale kid with black hair, two bizarre blue eyes and a mole under his left eye, wearing something like a black and white-striped pajamas.

"Ah, hello weird kid only I can see and who appears to me now and then!" He said with a completely neutral face.

"This is the first time we meet each other outside your room…" the boy said with a know-it-all smile. "But now there's no time to chitchat! There's more than an ordeal waiting for you!"

Kenji paused for a moment and then scratched his head, confused. "Oh right… you've been telling me about those, but… I don't really get it…"

"Anyway, you should hurry… 'she' is waiting." He said as he started to disappear.

"Hold on a sec! Who's this 'she'?"

"Oh, she's someone who's essential to you and your friends… well then… till our next meeting." With that he disappeared. _Aw…_Kenji thought. _I forgot to ask him what "essential" means!_

"KENJI-KUN!" Kumiko's voiced echoed a bit farther. Immediately Kenji rushed in that direction. It was then that he was halted by a shadow appearing before him, a few distance away from Kumiko. Immediately he slashed it with his sword, killing it with a single blow.

"I don't have time for you!!" He shouted as it vanished. Then he saw Kumiko and Shinn and ran to them. Unfortunately, he missed the pace and fell on the ground, face-first.

"H…hey… you OK?" Kumiko asked, kneeling over Kenji. Immediately he lifted his head and nodded, without changing his expression.

"Is this guy for real?" Shinn asked. "Kinda clumsy for a leader… why did they appoint you of all people?"

Kenji dusted himself and shrugged. "Actually I don't know… they say my potential is different from the others… but to tell the truth, I'm not exactly sure of what it means. But, I can summon more than just a Persona… probably that's why."

"Anyway, we gotta contact everyone… I tried contacting Miyuki but it won't do…" Kumiko said, crossing her arms. "And we'd better hurry out of this floor, or else we'll never end fighting these small fries…"

--

At the Tartarus entrance, Mitsuru was doing her best to set the radio on her bike, so to be able to contact everyone, but no matter what, it just didn't work.

"No use… I tried every frequency, even at the highest transceiver sensitivity… it's as if it was broken… I guess that's the limitation to what my Penthesilea can do…even in the latest explorations, it couldn't do much…" she mumbled, more to herself than to Miyuki or Yukari. Then, to Miyuki: "Any luck, Takara?"

Miyuki, who was focusing on Personomicon, reopened her eyes as the book-shaped Persona faded. The pink-haired girl sadly shook her head. "I'm sorry… it's so strange… I can detect them but, for some reason, I can't seem to reach them… it's as if there was some… interference of sorts, making us incommunicado!"

"I should have seen it coming…" Yukari muttered.

"Did you say something, Takeba-San?" Miyuki asked, as she fixed her glasses.

"Er… I was just wondering… about that Moriyama girl… will she be OK at the dorm?" She lied to Miyuki.

Mitsuru shook her head. "Actually, no one is safe within the Dark Hour."

Miyuki smiled. "Don't be concerned about her, Takeba-San, Kirijo-San. I'm sure she's fine. Besides, Zala-San and Hiiragi-San are with h- AH?!" Immediately, she refocused on Personomicon, closing her eyes. "Izumi-San? Is it you…?"

Konata's voice came broken and quite hard to hear. "Mi…ki… got… sep…ted!... I'm… with J… but……………"

"Ah! I…Izumi-san?! Izumi-San!!" She started to fret.

Then she heard a new voice, one she couldn't recognize.

"Who's…there? Is it… a human?"

--

"What was that?" Kenji asked, looking around. "Did you guys heard that?"

"Yeah… it was a voice…" Kumiko mused. "But… I don't think it's a shadow…"

"Strange… I think I've heard that voice somewhere…" Shinn added.

"Shhh! Someone's coming!" Kumiko said as she braced herself, as Kenji did the same. "Wait till it's closer… then attack…"

After a few instances, something came out of the darkness. "NOW!" She screamed as she threw one of her chakrams to it and Kenji rushed to attack. He stopped on his track as he heard someone moaning in pain as the chakram hit him to the head.

"I told you to duck!" A tiny, female voice said in the same direction. Kenji, Shinn and Kumiko walked in that direction and were surprised to see it was both Konata and Junpei.

"Oh, it's just Iori-Kun and Konata." Kumiko coldly stated as she recovered her chakram.

"JUST Iori-Kun?! I resent that, Senpai!" Junpei cried as he rubbed his aching head. "After all the trouble we had to find you…"

Konata laughed in a confident way. "Hah! Those shadows were no match for the super Konpei team!"

"KONPEI? Sounds like a cheesy fan fiction pairing!" A female voice came from Konata's back. The small girl turned around to see Kagami and Akihiko, the first resting her machinegun on her shoulder.

"Ah, wonderful! Now everyone's here!" Kenji nodded.

"Did you guys find anything as you came here?" Kumiko asked.

Konata shrugged, looking behind her. "Aside from those critters? Not much…"

"Well I did find something out" Kagami said with a slight smile, both hands on her side. "Going inside Tartarus this way is no good."

"Then I'm a step ahead of you, Hiiragi…" Akihiko replied with the same slight smile.

"Well whose fault is it?!" She cried.

"Hey! I DID tell you I'm sorry!" He spat back.

"OK, OK!" Kumiko tried and called them back to order. "Enough love quarrels! This is neither the time nor the place for them!"

"Anyway" Junpei interrupted them all. "Didn't you guys hear a voice as you came here?"

Shinn nodded. "Yeah… didn't it sound like-"

Before he could imitate the voice, it actually spoke. This time it came from behind a corner.

"Who's there? Are you… human?"

Everyone faced the direction the voice came from; they saw a girl shyly popping out of the corner: she wore a light blue shirt under the Gekkoukan High School uniform, which lacked its typical red bow; she also wore white stockings and black loafers; she had short blue-green hair and two deep eyes of a similar hue. The girl slowly walked away from the hall to the group.

Shinn looked amazed in seeing the girl. "…Fuuka…?" Then he rubbed his eyes to be sure it wasn't a dream. As he could state he wasn't dreaming, he immediately rushed to her. "Fuuka!! Oh, thank goodness… you're alive!"

"Shinn…Kun? Is it really you?" She asked, still a bit confused.

"Yes, it's me!" He answered aloud, his eyes watering, causing them to sting. "It's me, I have come to get you out of here!"

"Hey, sorry for spoiling the romance… but it's not just you…" Akihiko said at their back, frowning.

"Ah… who are you?" Fuuka asked.

"We're the Cavalry, and we come to rescue you… and what a surprise! You sure are moe!" Konata declared, raising a finger.

Nodding, Kumiko stepped a little farther and tried to contact Miyuki. Fortunately, she heard no interference this time. "Miyuki? Can you hear me? We had some trouble, but now it's alright. We found her!"

"I'm glad, but…" Miyuki's voice sounded concerned about something.

"Huh? Something wrong?"

"Please, come here immediately… I… I have a terrible bad feeling…"

"Don't move from, there, we'll be there soon!" Then, to Fuuka. "Ok, we're going out… Are you hurt? Have you ran into some weird monsters?"

Fuuka jolted. "So there ARE creatures here! But I somehow managed to avoid them… you see, for some reason, I can perfectly sense where they are…"

"Now I see…" Konata mused, as she scratched the rear of her head. "This girl… must have a power which is similar to Yuki-Chan's! And maybe their powers resonated, making us incommunicado!"

"Probable." Akihiko nodded, as he took a gun-shaped Evoker out and gave it to Fuuka, who was startled in receiving it. "I trust you have no objection, Fukuyama. After all, you don't seem to lack a good navigator…" then, to Fuuka. "It's no real gun. Think of it of a luck charm."

With that, the eight of them walked together, looking for an exit. As they walked, they spotted a giant window and instinctively stopped to see through it: the moon was full and huge, shining of his spectral, pale green light.

"Whoa! I never seen it so bright!" Junpei commented in awe.

"Some researches indicate that moon phases affect the shadows, just like they do with humans." Akihiko explained.

"I guess that would explain Yuka-Tan's mood changes!" The capped one chuckled as Konata nodded.

"Come to think… wasn't it a full moon when the dorm was attacked?" Kagami asked.

"Can't remember…" Kenji frowned.

"I'm pretty sure of it…" Akihiko nodded. "And it was also a full moon when the shadow appeared at the monorail, last month!"

Kumiko walked to the window and stared at the moon with a slight smile. "…that's right. That's when 'they' appear… during the full moon nights." Then her mind snapped as she reached for her transceiver again.

"F…Fukuyama-San!! Please come here now!!"

"Is it one them?!"

"It's… it's two of them! Takeba-San and Kirijo-San… we can't-!" She interrupted herself as some strong noises were heard.

"Miyuki!!" All she could hear from the transceiver was Miyuki screaming. "Darn… why here of all places?!"

Immediately she rushed ahead, telling the rest of the group to move out.

_**Fuuka Yamagishi: **__A student from 2-E and a Persona-user. Although reported as sick, she disappeared inside Tartarus after being locked inside the gym by Natsuki, Maki and their other friends. She's a quiet, timid and impressively cute girl whose power is similar to Miyuki's, making her a valuable support asset. She's also Shinn's classmate and he seems like being very protective when it comes to her. _

_--_

Exhausted, Tsukasa stopped for a moment to catch some breath. She was just done crossing the railroad track connecting Iwatodai Station to the Port Island Station, a task not easy as it is, let alone doing it while carrying an unconscious person on your back. Still, she couldn't stand leaving Athrun behind, thinking that could be dangerous.

"It's… it's OK, Athrun-San… it will be fine…" she said between the light breaths as she looked around. "We're almost there… I think…?"

After a few minutes break, she fixed Athrun back on her back and resumed her lonely journey to find Tartarus. Then, a squishy noise caught her attention as she saw a shadow moving towards the two of them. Panicking, she jumped back; In the hurry, she forgot to take her crossbow and Evoker along! The shadow was already on her…

Immediately she squeezed her eyes shut and left out a long, scared scream.

As Tsukasa kept on screaming, she didn't notice a red-dressed figure rushing in front of her and one-killing the shadow with a single blow of his big, heavy-looking axe. As soon as all noises stopped, Tsukasa stopped screaming and reopened her eyes, surprised to not see the shadow anymore. "Wow!" she giggled. "I didn't think I had THAT MUCH power!"

A voice to her left: "You alright?"

Tsukasa jolted and looked at her right, seeing the same person she and everyone else met to the hospital when they came checking on Akihiko. "Ah, it's you!" she smiled.

Shinjiro dropped his axe. "…one of Aki's classmates… what you doing here?! I thought I told your friends to not come here again!"

Immediately, Tsukasa swiftly told him about how she ended up in that situation, how she stayed behind as everyone was looking for Fuuka, Natsuki's escape and Athrun being knocked down to protect her and how she meant to catch up with everyone, although he had to ask here now and then to talk a bit slowly because of some parts a bit hard to understand due to her mincing words. Once the story was over, he nodded and glanced at Athrun. "…just tell me: WHY did you bother bringing this deadbeat around? He's those things' perfect target."

"THAT's why I brought him along! If I left him behind, no one would have been able to watch over him!"

Shinjiro sighed. "Whatever… and where are your friends now?"

Tsukasa stayed thoughtful for a few seconds, a finger over her mouth, then she faced him with a sheepish smile. "…I don't remember!"

The shady one didn't reply: he simply tilted his head. Then he turned his back at the girl, saying: "…can't help ya, then. How the hell am I supposed to know WHERE you need to go?"

Mumbling, the cute-looking girl looked around. Then she saw it, huge, pale-green, standing high in the horizon. "AH, THERE!!" She proclaimed, pointing her finger to Tartarus.

"…must be kidding! That place is…" Shinjiro grimaced.

Tsukasa grasped the guy's right arm (Momentarily forgetting about Athrun, who fell on the floor, limp…), asking him to help her get there. He wasn't completely sure, but eventually agreed, saying he would have only escorted her till in front of the tower. With that, he picked Athrun up from the floor and carried him on his back as both started walking toward Tartarus.

--

Mitsuru was trying hard to keep both the gigantic shadows at bay, her shining sword clashing with the king-looking one. _No good! _She thought as she saw that her attacks weren't ineffective.

"Ah, Kirijo-San! Physical attacks are ineffective against that one! Only skills can damage him!" Miyuki yelled shakily, while covering up her own head, on her knees.

"…you're not making it easy…!" Mitsuru thought aloud as she tried to dodge the queen-shaped shadow's attack.

Seeing that Yukari was just standing there, her bow in her hands, Miyuki cried: "Takeba-San! Please, support Kirijo-San!"

Yukari didn't move. She kept on looking at the battle, paralyzed with fear. _I…I can't… they're too fast… and… if I miss, I could hit Mitsuru-Senpai…_

"Takeba-San!!" The girl with glassed cried louder. As if it heard her voice, one of the two shadows, the queen-looking one, hit both her and Yukari with a blizzard-like gust, causing both to be knocked behind, causing Miyuki to be knocked down by the shock.

Mitsuru called out both girl's names, momentarily lowering her guard and making so that the king-shaped shadow vigorously grabbed her with his huge hand, lifting her over the ground.

The red-haired girl felt her consciousness slowly fading away as the hand painfully squeezed her, crushing her…

"Mitsuru!!" A familiar male voice echoed in the room.

Reopening her eyes, Mitsuru could only see a red, white and black blur dashing to the shadow holding her. Once it jumped over the shadow, she recognized it as Akihiko, as he took out his Evoker, pointing it to his forehead.

"POLYDEUCES!!" He shouted as he pulled the trigger, blue energy irradiating from his body, changing into a white humanoid being with long golden hair and a syringe-like weapon on one of his arms. The Persona used his weapon to attack the queen-shaped shadow, knocking it down. Akihiko took advantage of this to make Polydeuces use his electric skills on the other one, which immediately fell on the ground, letting Mitsuru go, which the silver-haired boxer caught.

"Man, you're such a show-off!" Kagami puffed as she ran by Miyuki's side, followed by Konata. "You OK, Miyuki-San?!"

Miyuki painfully reopened her eyes and smiled to her friends. "I'm sorry… I tried helping, but… in the end… I couldn't do anything…"

"That's not true, Miyuki." Kumiko said, shaking her head. "What happened here anyway?"

"Yes… they appeared from nowhere… I couldn't make a full analysis…" Miyuki kept on apologizing as she fixed her glasses back on her nose.

"Don't worry, Yuki-Chan! We'll take care of'em!" Konata said, nodding with a confident smile.

As if something caught her attention, Kumiko glanced at the tower's entrance, gasping as she saw Natsuki there, a weird shadow in her eyes. "Dammit! What is she doing here?!"

As she heard her voice, the brunette's mind snapped, as if she just woke up and fell on her knees. Immediately, Fuuka rushed to her classmate, while Kagami was starting to worry about her twin sister.

"Moriyama-San?!" Fuuka cried, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

Natsuki slowly lifted her head. "F…Fuuka?"

"Please, get out of here, it's too dangerous!"

"I… I wanted to apologize with y-"

Before Natsuki had the chance to finish her sentence, the king-shaped shadow quickly moving towards the two girls, ready to attack. Fuuka felt as if time was slowing down to her, as she kept on staring at the Evoker Akihiko gave to her. Her eyes then switched to the two shadows as she looked more determined, her grasp on the pseudo-gun tightening.

"F…Fuuka…?!" Shinn stuttered as he made a step forward, tightly holding his weapon. "No!! Stay back!! That isn't just a gun!!"

Fuuka quietly nodded as she brought the Evoker near her temple. "I know…!" she said.

It all happened as fast as a flash of light. The king-shaped shadow moved to attack Fuuka and Natsuki, the latter cowering in fear. Without hesitating, the short-haired girl pulled the Evoker's trigger as the energy around her took shape of a blindfolded lady with long flowing hair and a pink dress, a water-like space inside her shirt where Fuuka and Natsuki stood.

"I can see…" Fuuka calmly proclaimed, her voice echoing through everyone's mind. "I clearly see… these creatures' weaknesses…"

"So… so that's her power…" Miyuki said, getting up on her feet. "This girl's power… akin to mine…"

"Don't strain yourself, Miyuki…" Kagami placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, but she gently put it away.

"No… I want to be of help too…" Then, to Fuuka. "Can you hear me, Yamagishi-San? I'll support Asuka-San, Fukuyama-San, Izumi-San and Hiiragi-San by closely analyze one of the shadows… can you please handle support for Shugo-San, Iori-San and Sanada-San by analyzing the other one?"

"Yes… I'll do my best!" Fuuka nodded.

"Hmm… a better strategist than I expected, that Miyuki…" Kumiko thought aloud with a smirk as she flipped her chakram up in the air, catching it back as it fell down. "You heard that? We'll take care of the shadow to the right… you can have the other one."

"Aww, you're so kind, Kumiko-Senpai!" Junpei replied in a playful way.

Although it looked at the beginning, the battle turned out much easier than expected, thanks to the combined efforts of Kagayaku and SEES and the latter's new navigator. Both shadows were easily defeated in a matter of a few minutes. Once the two dark beings faded away, both Fuuka's and Miyuki's Persona disappeared. Feeling dizzy, the girl with long pink hair stumbled for a moment, but Konata swiftly caught her before she fell, while Fuuka was checking to make sure Natsuki was unharmed. Seeing that she was, Fuuka sighed in relief as her mind slowly blacked-out and her body collapsed on the floor. Shinn immediately rushed to her classmates as Natsuki stood there, shocked.

The lad tried and shook Fuuka's body so to wake her up, but she didn't move. Kagami and Mitsuru walked to the trio.

"I…I don't care what happens to me!" Shinn shouted, on the verge of tears. "I only want Fuuka to be fine! I…!!"

Immediately Mitsuru bent down to check on Fuuka. "She's fine. She's just exhausted."

"Anyway… what are we going to do about Natsuki? She saw shadows, and…" Yukari asked.

"Don't worry" Akihiko answered. "She's not like us… she'll eventually forget everything."

"Doesn't it mean she'll also forget about Fuuka saving her life?" Kagami asked, lowering her head. "It just sounds so… unfair…"

Kenji walked to her and looked at the three 2-E students, a smile on her face. "You think? I don't think it would matter. I'm sure they all will be alright."

Immediately, Kagami faced Natsuki and Shinn: both were weeping next to Fuuka's unconscious body.

"Fuuka…" Natsuki sobbed. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry!"

"She's fine…" Shinn cried. "That's all that matters… I'm… I'm so glad you're fine, Fuuka!..."

Both Mitsuru and Kumiko smiled to each other as they nodded.

"I really appreciate what you and the others did for us, Fukuyama. It would have been hard without your help."

"Heh… just don't get used to it! From now on, Kagayaku will handle things their way."

"Of course…"

The noise of the gate opening from outside caught the two girls attention, as they both saw Tsukasa popping out of the doorway, Athrun on her back. Exhausted, the girl sunk on her knees as she dropped the young man on the floor. Immediately her twin sister rushed to her. "Tsukasa?! What happened?! Don't tell me you came here all by yourself…"

Once she had enough breath to talk, she looked at Kagami. "Sis! It's terrible!! Natsuki-Chan escaped and… and… what??" Looking around, she was amazed to see Natsuki there, in the middle of the room, weeping as she embraced Fuuka.

In the same moment, Athrun regained consciousness and immediately got up, bracing himself. "Where did she go?! Where?! Huh…?" He practically had the same reaction Tsukasa had just a few seconds earlier, causing both SEES and Kagayaku members to chuckle.

Then Shinn got up, drying up his eyes with his uniform's sleeve and faced the two of them with a smile. "Cool it, you two! As you can see, the show's over!"

Tsukasa tilted her head, confused. Kumiko patted her shoulder and gestured everyone to go back to the hotel, as Shinn stayed with Fuuka a little bit more, alongside the rest of SEES and Natsuki.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!!**

**Konata: **Next, on PERUSURI…

**Kagami: **Don't you ever get tired to say the same thing at each preview?

**Konata: **Nope!

**Rei: **I hope things weren't too hard when I was gone, everyone.

**Shinn: **Nn…nooooo! _(Nervous cackle)_

**Rei: **Good, because I have an important mission for you.

**Shinn: **Argh, aren't there breaks?!

**Rei: **Kagayaku will have to investigate on that mysterious revenge request service on the internet.

**Kumiko: **That's new to me…

**Shinjiro: **Don't you know anything? It's a website accepting to accomplish revenge requests the users post there…

**Kumiko: **OK… but what does it have to do with everything we're doing so far?

**Rei: **Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…

**Kumiko: **…you don't know, don't you?

**Fuuka: **This and more in the next chapter of Shin Megami Tensei: PeruSuri!

**Junpei: **_(In a dark and sinister voice)_"Silent Revenge".

**Athrun: **Read and review!... reviews from girls are especially appreciated… _Gets booted to the head _OW!! AGAIN?!

**Rei: **Hmph!

**BLUE VELVET: The PeruSuri trivia channel: Ep.3**

**Elizabeth: **Welcome back to Blue Velvet, my dear readers.

**Maxwell: **Readers? Why, do we actually have readers? I think this fic's number of readers is mostly calculated in imaginary numbers…

**Elizabeth: **…I'd appreciate you'd keep your mouth shut… unless you want me to set your whole book on fire!

**Maxwell: **_(With sad, puppy eyes) _I…I'll be good!

**Elizabeth: **Good. Ahem…For all of you new readers around here I'll introduce myself again. I am Elizabeth, elevator operator inside this Velvet Room… and this here is my loyal servant.

**Maxwell: **Maxwell, the Demon Artist.

**Elizabeth: **Wasn't it 'Demon Painter'?

**Maxwell: **Painter, artist… it's the same!

**Elizabeth: **Anyway…for today's episode of Blue Velvet, we'd like to show you a few scenes the authoress thought for the main chapter, but she didn't put in so to not disrupt or slow down the whole story flow, its dramatic level or… simply because she thought those only were good outtakes and omake. But first… Maxwell?

**Maxwell: **Yes, ma'am!

**Elizabeth: **Could you please go get your mistress something to drink?

**Maxwell: **Sure! What do you want? Ouran Soda? 1Up?

**Elizabeth: **I'd like to try some Hydra Humour, thank you… I've heard that has incredibly healing properties…

**Maxwell: **_(Facevaults) _…but… in order to get that, I'll have to search for a real HYDRA!

**Elizabeth: **So?

**Maxwell: **It lives in another dimension!

**Elizabeth: **So?

**Maxwell: **And I'll also have to kill her! Do you know how big and strong it is?!

**Elizabeth: **I do… so?

**Maxwell: **…no offense, but your requests are getting more absurd with each passing day…

**Elizabeth: **…maybe.

_**Maxwell leaves the room, sighing.**_

**Elizabeth: **I sure hope he won't take too much… anyway… VIDEO!

**Chapter 3 outtakes 1 – Shinn's Pimpsmack video: **Kumiko and Miyuki are approaching Shinn, who's busy on his laptop in the Kotobuki Hotel lobby.

"What are you doing, Shinn?" Kumiko asks

"Well, remember this morning when Athrun was trying to hit on Miyuki in the computer room and Kuro-Sensei getting pissed off and bashing him? Well, I recorded everything with my digital camera on my cell phone and then I'm using a video editor to add several sound effects and music to it… I uploaded it on the net and I'm checking how it's going!"

"Isn't that MyCube?" Kumiko asks as she sits next to him. "Can't believe it! It had as many views as my latest Super Robot Wars parody!"

Meanwhile, in the Iwatodai Dorm lounge, Akihiko is sitting in front of the computer, trying hard to stifle a chuckle as he sinks his head under his arms.

Seeing that, Mitsuru walks to him. "Akihiko? What's happening?"

He lifts his head: he laughed so hard he now has tears in his eyes. "Ah… you have to see this video named 'Pimpsmack', it's too much!"

"A MyCube video? What can it have of so sp-" She freezes herself as soon as she gets to the part with the "Boot to the Head" soundclips. "Excuse me." She says as she runs inside the women's room, locking her door. Kenji, who was passing by, shrugs, thinking he just head Mitsuru-Senpai laughing from behind the door.

**Chapter 3 outtakes 2 – Konata SHOWS HER MUVZ Part 1 (Mostly inspired by KajetoKun's comics with Bright Noah punching Kira Yamato) !!: **Shinn, Yukari, Junpei, Kenji, Kumiko and Konata are in the Port Island Station back alley, surrounded by punks. "I feel sorry for you, Goatee. This bitch is a pain in the ass…" One of them says to Junpei, preparing to punch him into the stomach. The punch is promptly parried by Konata.

"You call that a punch?" The girl smirks.

"Shaddup you brat!" He spits. "Go back to your momma if you don't wanna get hurt, shrimp!"

Konata doesn't reply… she simply gestures Junpei to give her something. Nodding, he gives her a red helmet with a golden, bird-shaped crest over the visor. The girls put it on yelling: "YES!" Then, shouting "PAUUUNCH!!", she punches the punk incredibly hard, causing him to fly, making a hole into the staircase railing. She then approaches the punk as the rest of the scum fly away and declares: "SHOW ME YOU MUVZ!" As Shinjiro, hiding behind the garbage can, can't help but snickering.

**Chapter 3 outtakes 2 – Konata SHOWS HER MUVZ Part 2: **SEES and Kagayaku are discussing the strategy for the Fuuka rescue operation and Kumiko orders Tsukasa and Athrun to stay back and watch over Natsuki. Kagami warns Tsukasa to be careful to Athrun and he remarks he's not interested in flat-chested girls. Once again, Konata asks Junpei to give her that red helmet and, shouting "FALCON KICK!!", she kicks Athrun in the shin, causing him to fly to the farthest wall, outside the room. Naturally, Shinn doesn't miss the chance to record this on your cell phone, while saying. "Hey, I don't even need to edit this!"

**Elizabeth: **I think we just had the proof the authoress' mind is slowly degenerating… maybe I should ask for another job! Now… where's my Humour?

_**Maxwell arrives, out of breath, a weird-colored liquid in the glass he's holding**_

**Maxwell: **H…here it is… _(Gasps)_

**Elizabeth: **So this is a Hydra Humour, huh… thanks Maxwell, I'll taste it later.

**Maxwell: **I… I knew you would have said that… ugh… _(Collapses)_

**Elizabeth: **So… you know what they say… "Time is a tyrant". I bid you all farewell for now… but no fear, we'll meet again. Later days!

**Maxwell: **_(Still on the floor) _H… hold on!

**Elizabeth: **What?

**Maxwell: **What about my reward? You always give rewards for this kind of stuff!

**Elizabeth: **I never said I had a reward ready for you…

**Maxwell: **_(Drops his head, sobbing)_


	5. Chapter 4: Silent revenge

CHAPTER 4: Silent Revenge

_**CHAPTER 4: Silent revenge**_

**06/09/09**

Lunchtime. The computer room was deserted, safe for two students, a senior and a junior, arguing within. The senior voice could be easily heard from outside the room.

"Shinn!" he yelled as he slammed a hand on the closest desk, angrily. "Why did you take such an initiative without consulting with the rest of the team?!"

"Consulting?!" Shinn spat back, swaying his gaze. "There was no time to procrastinate! If we didn't act as we did, Fuuka would have been…!!"

"This is no reason to act in such an irresponsible way! You revealed our existence to SEES, despite we were clearly asked to not get mixed with their operations! You took the initiative and disobeyed orders…!"

Shinn faced Athrun with defying eyes. "It's always like this with you… the orders, always the orders!... Are you saying it's OK for you to leave a person in danger as long as you 'follow orders'?! Besides, you're nothing but a third wheel, you have no authority in this group, so stop acting as if you still were my commanding officer, cuz you're no longer that!"

Athrun couldn't take Shinn's insolence anymore; instead of talking back, he stepped closer and slapped him with his right hand. The younger one placed a hand on his aching cheek while biting his lower lip; his whole body was quivering in rage.

Before Shinn had the chance to counter, the computer room sliding door opened as Rei stepped inside. He looked pretty weary, as if he had a hard time falling asleep. "Can't you guys keep quiet? Boy, I have a headache…" he moaned.

"Ah, Kurohagane-Sensei! About time!" Athrun said, still angry as he approached his teacher and boss. "Listen, it's about the last operation…"

Rei quietly sat to his own desk and sighed. "I can't say anything about this operation, I still have to read Kumiko-Kun's report thoroughly … I only know something about what happened…"

"But Sensei!"

"…the bell is going to ring soon, Athrun…" Rei replied, making clear he wasn't in the mood to listen. Realizing that, Athrun moved to get out of the computer room, very annoyed. Shinn waited a while and then, with a sigh, did the same; before he got out of the room, Rei stopped him and said. "I only have something to tell you, Shinn: always take responsibility for your actions. Remember that."

"Kuro-Sensei! I…!!" Shinn was about to reply, but the teacher interrupted him.

"Whatever you did… all that matters is that the girl, Fuuka, is safe. In other words, the operation was a complete success, regardless." This statement caused Shinn's face to enlighten as a smile was brought back on his face. "Now go, kid. I don't want you to be late for the classes!"

Immediately, Shinn rushed outside, almost bumping into Kumiko, who was coming inside. Swiftly apologizing, he kept on running while the girl approached Rei's desk.

"You look terrible, Sensei…" she stated, crossing her arms.

"Let's just say that those were really tough days for me…"

Kumiko looked away while arching an eyebrow. "Oh, well that makes me feel a little better… and I thought you were going to let us do all the hard work while you were taking easy with some girl… And in all this mess we had to take care of one of THOSE shadows, which was clearly out of our schedule…"

Rei let out a hoarse, slightly embarrassed cackle. _Now I wouldn't it was just ONE GIRL… heh_… "You're so harsh, Kumiko-Kun…"

"Have you read the report I wrote yet?"

"Only partially… seems like you had a tough night… anyway, at least Fuuka is safe… I would have hated if something happened to such a cute girl…"

"Oh, it's too bad we don't have such a cutie in our team, huh? Because it looks like SEES will get her… tough luck, eh?" Kumiko's eyes rolled as she sighed.

"Man, Kumiko-Kun… you sure have a bad opinion of me!" Rei's head dropped as he graced her with a grim smile.

**06/12/09**

Shinn rushed inside his homeroom, fearing that the teacher, Ekoda, would have scolded him for being slightly late. He was quite surprised to see that the teacher desk was empty.

"Hey, Shinn!" one of his male classmates, Daisuke, greeted him. "Man, you got lucky! Ekoda won't be around for a while…"

"Well, I oughta be happy about it!" Shinn chuckled as he sat at his desk. "That old goat always nags me a lot… but… isn't that kinda unusual for someone like him?"

"Didn't you hear it?" A couple of girls approached his desk. Everything in her eyes could tell him they were enjoying gossiping, they had a peculiar, smart look. "Ekoda is in hot water!" One of them said.

"Huh? What happened?" He asked, tilting his head.

"Dunno" the other girl answered. "But it must be something serious… maybe sexual harassment!"

"Yeah, I can totally see it!" The first girl chuckled.

Suddenly, Shinn remembered what happened the morning of their operation to rescue Fuuka. He remembered about Mr. Ekoda not doing anything to help the girl so to protect his career and the school's well being. Then, he remembered Mitsuru's words: "I'll make sure such a despicable behaviour won't pass unpunished…". _I'm ready to bet that she was serious when she said that… well, serves him right! _He thought while smirking.

The classroom sliding door opened as Fuuka stepped inside the classroom, without saying a word to anyone, staring at the floor. Shinn looked in her direction with a slight smile while the two girls shared smart gazes.

"Hey, look!" one of the two girls by Shinn's desk said with a cackle as her friend tried to hush her. "It's the ghost girl!"

Immediately Shinn hopped on his feet, about to say something to the two nosy airheads, when Natsuki entered the room from the same door Fuuka came in. The tall brunette threw an angry look to the two girls who rushed to their desks, silent.

"Meh, don't mind them, OK, Fuuka?" she sighed, leaning an arm on the closest wall. "Anyway, I see you're a bit depressed lately… so… if you need someone to talk with, you can count on me anytime. After all, that's what friends are for."

Seeing that Natsuki was on Fuuka's side, Shinn sighed in relief and walked closer to them. At first he looked angry, so both girls looked at him, worried. But then, he faced both with a friendly smile. "I'm glad to see you're back. You were in the hospital for quite a while, I was worried…" He quietly said.

"Thank you… Shinn-Kun… Moriyama-San…" Fuuka's eyes started to water as she smiled to both Shinn and Natsuki. Despite the rumor everyone in the classroom believed in, she felt really happy to see she had two dear friends to rely on.

Natsuki placed her arms around Fuuka and Shinn's shoulders as she chuckled. "That won't do! It's too formal! Just call me Natsuki. As for him… you should call him 'Prince Charming'…!"

"P…prince… HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!!" Both of them jolted, embarrassed.

"I'm counting on you, sweetheart!" The tall girl nodded as she lifted her thumb to her male classmate before sitting at her desk.

Shinn blushed and placed a hand on his forehead. _Counting on me… to do what, Natsuki?! You're getting the wrong idea! _"Anyway, Fuuka… I'd rather not let you get involved with the shadows, but if that's your decision, I won't object… just… you can count on me if you need someone to cheer you up!"He then looked at Fuuka, who was smiling at him; a warm, gentle smile which would have melted everyone's heart. _Aw, whatever… she's so cute! _

**06/19/09**

Junpei was hanging to the outer railing on the highest floor of the Iwatodai strip mall, by the drink vending machine. He kept on rocking back and forth as if he was waiting for someone. "…where is Kona-Chan…?" He mumbled before letting out a noisy yawn.

Then, his attention was taken by a small voice calling him from beneath. He looked downward to see Konata and Kumiko, the latter was carrying a big paper bag, filled with many kind of doujinshi she made. "Don't mind me" she said. "I'm just here to sell these…" The two girls walked the staircase up and then, the three of them entered the Book On Bookstore. As Konata and Junpei walked together to the DVD section, Kumiko patiently waited by the front desk, which was deserted.

Little did any of them know that the small, long-haired girl and her junior friend were actually watched by a mysterious shadow, popping out of a shelf. Out of the shade, a young man appeared, his eyes sparkling with determination: the lad had wild black hair, making him similar to a 70s anime character and wore a red visor with Tenchou (Shop manager) written in white, a long work green jacket, blue jeans, black fingerless gloves and a long, flowing red scarf.

"The rumors were true…" he muttered as he clenched both his teeth and fists as his soul seemed like building a fire of passion. "I came to this island trusting the voices and I wasn't fooled by them… SHE's here!" he then jumped forward and wiped imaginary sweat off his chin. _The fateful day has come, Legendary Girl A! I have you now! _He then pointed a finger to a non-specific point. "Today, I'll manage to get you b-!"

He was unable to continue the phrase, for he felt someone tapping his shoulder and stood, frozen in that position as the person (As a matter of fact, Kumiko) kept on tapping. After pausing a while In that position, the young man immediately turned around to face her. She opened her mouth to speak, but he gestured her to wait as he ran off farther. After less than three seconds, he dashed back to her with a DVD box, rising a massive dust cloud as he braked a few inches away from the girl and then dramatically showing it to her. "Here it is!! The latest SRW OG – The Inspector DVD, deluxe edition!!"

Immediately Kumiko grabbed the DVD with shaking hands, frowning. _The Earth Cradle finale… the slimebag's demise…_then, determined "I take it!" as she pulled her money pouch out of her bag and both walked to the cash.

The girl in blue paid the DVD and carefully slipped it inside her school bag, back with the money pouch, her eyes literally sparkling. Then, her mind snapped as she shook her head, looking at the shop manager. "I'm not here to buy, but whatever… I already did… I'm here for the monthly self-made doujinshi delivery for the RK..." She said as she dropped the doujinshi on the desk with a sigh. "…although I doubt it will sell much… I mean, it's not H or Yaoi doujinshi…"

Suddenly, the shopkeeper jumped up on the desk as he clenched both fists in a dramatic way, quivering. "It doesn't matter how much it sells out… as long as there is AT LEAST ONE customer who's satisfied!!" he then pointed at the girl. "Do your readers like what you make?!"

"Um… y…yes…" Kumiko replied, embarrassed by the guy's attitude.

"That's all that matters!" he placed a hand on her shoulder and pointed to the horizon as an imaginary wind rocked his scarf back and forth. "Go! Go and publish your works with no shame!"

"I will!" She blurted out as she ran out of the shop, proud.

As soon as Kumiko was out, the guy dashed in the direction he saw Konata and Junpei walking. _Now it's your turn, Legendary Girl A!! _He then stopped on his track as he saw both nowhere, desperately looking around. Another keeper, a rough-looking man with curly hair jumped to him, his breath labored. "T…Tenchou… Legendary Girl A has left with her new friend…" he gasped, causing the "manager" to scream as he felt like the surrounding world exploded around him.

_**Meito "Anime Tenchou" Anizawa: **__The new shopkeeper for the Book On Bookstore. He's an energetic, hot-blooded youth who's incredibly passionate about his job. He'd do anything to please his customers and sometimes acts as a spiritual mentor to Kumiko, often boosting her self-confidence. He came in Iwatodai to go after Konata, AKA "Legendary Girl A" (Due to the insanely high prices she's willing to pay for anime/game merchandizing) and finally be able to get her buy something valuable at his bookstore. _

**06/20/09**

Right after the class being over, Kenji was warned by Mitsuru about a meeting taking place in the dorm. As he walked out the school gates, the boy saw Tsukasa sitting on a bench. When he asked her who she was waiting, she replied no one in particular, and immediately invited her to walk him home, much of her happiness.

"Wait" Tsukasa said as they started walking. "I want to tell my big sister I will come later to the hotel." With that, she pulled out her cell phone and started looking for Kagami's number, but not remembering how to get into the recorded numbers list she kept on messing up, over and over, which made her ever more apprehensive.

Kenji chuckled as he approached her a little bit more, prompting her to blush. "Don't fret, it happens to me all the times as well!" he then tried to give her a hand, but he was even more at loss than her! It took them about an hour to get them call Kagami… but they eventually did it.

Once they arrived by the dorm, they spotted Yukari and Fuuka, who looked like busy with a small-sized white and grey dog with pointy ears and vivid scarlet eyes. When Fuuka asked it for its paw, the dog intelligently stuck it out.

"Aw, cute doggie!" Tsukasa clasped both hands together and approached the two girls, kneeling over the dog which, in response, started to sniff her while wagging its tail. "Oh, you're a smart little guy, aren't you? What's your name, boy?"

"His name is Koromaru." Fuuka answered. "I've often seen him by the shrine."

"The shrine? Oh, maybe you know Kumi-Chan, then, Koro-Chan?" Tsukasa smiled while stroking the dog's soft fur. Koromaru barked as a reply.

"Kumi-Chan?" Kenji asked, tilting his head. "Oh, you mean Kumiko-Senpai? Does she live by the shrine?"

"Yes, she does. Her grandparents tend the shrine… or so she told me." The short-haired senior replied.

They all then heard a voice from the direction Kenji and Tsukasa came from: "Koro!! Will you ever stop running around like that?!". Then they all saw Kumiko running to the group as Koromaru immediately rushed to her. Once they met, the girl knelt down, allowing the dog to leap on her, both front paws on her shoulders as he happily moved to lick her face, his tail wagging madly.

"Silly boy… why do you always make me worry like that?" the girl chuckled. Her face, usually quiet in a seemingly cold way, was enlightened by the most cheerful of smiles.

"You mean it's not the first time he runs off this way?" Tsukasa asked, standing up.

Kumiko's expression reverted to its normal look as she shook her head while gently pushing the dog back on the floor. "Koro… he's my grandfather's dog… or, rather, used to be… my grandfather was the priest at Naganaki Shrine and the two of them loved to walk here around this hour."

"Used to be? What's that supposed to mean?" Yukari asked, while crossing her arms.

The older dark-haired girl sighed. "…that my grandfather died… six months ago. They reported it was a car accident… he couldn't survive… but reality isn't that simple, you know." She talked in a cold tone, but her eyes betrayed a deep sadness and anger.

"You mean… the shadows?" Fuuka asked with shaky voice.

"Does it matter who did it?" She then shook her head once again and faced the others "Anyway, since then, Koro has been sitting patiently where the accident occurred and then he walks this road around this hour… just as if gramps were still alive."

"Wow! He sure is a loyal dog!" Yukari remarked as she stroked Koromaru.

"Yeah. I'm really proud of him." Kumiko nodded. Then, to Tsukasa. "You go on ahead to the hotel. I'll walk Koro home and then be there, OK?"

"OK. Later, Kumi-Chan." Tsukasa said as she bent down to the dog and patted his head. "Bye, Koro-Chan! Be a good boy, OK?"

The dog barked as to say "OK, I will!" and both he and his human friend walked home together.

_**Koromaru: **__An intelligent-looking dog who used to belong to the priest of Naganaki Shrine, Kumiko's grandfather. When his master died, he kept protecting the place the sad event occurred. He's an independent dog who often roams around on his own, causing Kumiko to get frustrated in looking for him. _

**06/22/09**

The Dark Hour appeared as always, engulfing the whole city with its green aura, as blood and coffins were scattered around the city and silence ruled supreme. There were a few more transmogrified people in the Port Island Station back alley, probably some lousy, up to no good teens willing to smoke their weird stuff and drinking alcohols and frozen in that time-space gap.

Then, in a flash of light, one of the coffins disappeared as it reverted to its human form: an ordinary-looking teenager with a fashionable t-shirt. Confused, he looked around, startled by the spectral vision appearing in front of his eyes.

He then heard an emotionless voice, almost sounding like a hiss, wishing him a good evening. The voice caused the lad to feel a chill running up his spine. Immediately, he turned around and saw a group made of six people, four young men and two young women: the leading man looked like a very pale hippie with long, wavy silver hair, a beard and golden eyes, only wearing a pair of tattered jeans with a red scarf instead of a belt and donned snake-shaped tattoos on both arms; next to him there was a short-haired guy wearing sunglasses with orange lens and a cool-looking green and black-striped shirt, who also carried a silver case with him; the third man was Kurz, the cross-dressing blonde man Kagayaku met in their first operation, a few months earlier; the fourth man was a fat, thug-faced European guy, wearing a jacket over a square-patterned shirt and mustard-colored pants; the two girls were Stellar, the emotionally unstable girl Kagayaku met in the factory and a younger, long red-haired girl wearing a white, frilly dress with a cross plugged on her headband, making it look as if it was stuck through her head.

The pale young man pierced the scared teenager with his golden eyes. "Are you surprised? Truth to be told, we visit this world every night."

"W…what are you saying?!" the teenager spat. "Who are you?!"

Kurz shook a finger with a know-it-all smirk. "Ah, ah, ah. Someone here needs to learn some good manners, here."

"Who's talking…" the fat man muttered, with a strong German accent. Then, to the smart-looking guy with sunglasses. "Come on. Show it to him."

The guy with glasses took out a paper from his case and showed it to the teenager. "Read here. This is you, am I right?"

The teenager started shaking. "W…where did you get that?!"

"Someone's got a grudge against you and asked for a revenge." The guy with sunglasses coldly replied.

"Revenge?!" The teenager winced. "What kind of bullshit is that?! Who asked you to?!"

"What are you stupid?" Kurz asked with a smirk. "We wouldn't be pros if we did tell you, dumbass!"

"The rumors are true?!" The teenager started to walk back as the pale man drew a revolver and walked to him, followed by the guy with the sunglasses. "Wait! I haven't done everything wrong!!"

The pale man graced him with a malicious smile. "It is of no concern. Your notion of right and wrong is irrelevant. My client's wish is all that matters. After all, people only hear what they choose to hear and believe what they want to believe." he then pointed his gun at the teenager, who started to run off, screaming. The pale man looked even more pleased by that "Oh, what a fabulous squeal… such a raw emotion!" he said as he pulled the trigger.

A loud bang covered the silence of the Dark Hour, followed by the noise of a body hitting the floor.

"He's… alive." Stellar breathed as she swayed her gaze.

"Want me to get rid of the trash?" Kurz asked, crossing his arms.

The pale man shook his head. "Do not bother. Tomorrow it will just look like another random crime. Besides, we've held up our part of the bargain… let us go back… I'm feeling rather tired."

"What about the others like us?" the girl in white asked.

The fat man looked at her. "Well, according to our 'friend' around here, they're currently split in two groups, one dealing with the shadows and another one investigating… but both groups don't have any vital lead of sort. They're of no obstacle to us, so don't fret about it, OK?"

"Nevertheless" the smart-looking guy with sunglasses cupped his chin "this second group making investigations troubles me… they finding out the truth about the Dark Hour and the Tower of Demise will surely cause us trouble."

"We'll let Kurz handle them, just to be sure." the long haired man said as he looked at his cross-dressing companion. "You almost failed back at the factory. Be sure to not fail us this time."

Kurz smirked and nodded. _Those helpless bitches finding out the truth might actually be convenient for me… but for now I'll obey orders… I don't want to blow it for such a trivial matter… nevertheless, such an one-tracked mind this world people have!_

**06/23/09**

The Kagayaku girls decided to dine out after hearing Kumiko telling them about the great ramen they served at the Hagakure restaurant, in the Iwatodai Strip Mall. As they walked inside to sit down, they were talking about the lately rumored revenge request website many students were talking about.

"So, as I was saying." Miyuki explained. "This site is basically a place where the users write a person's name and… well, they basically hire someone to take care of the target."

"You mean they… hire them to kill someone?!" Kagami blurted. "That's horrible!"

"Plus it's 100 successful and completely anonymous." The girl with glasses continued.

"Well people do crazy things and all…" Kumiko sighed as she sat down. "But this just feels…wrong…"

"Come on, Kumi-Chan! It's just a rumor…" Konata chuckled as she rested her cheek on a hand. "Tough luck, I wouldn't mind using it!"

"Don't say that, even if it's a joke!" Kagami snapped. "It's MURDER we're talking about!"

A cute waiter with curly hair walked to the girls, asking for the order. They all ordered a special, except for Kagami who wanted to be careful with gaining weight and ordered a regular.

As she waited for their meals, Tsukasa looked around: the place had to be quite popular to be so chunk full with customers. She then spotted a familiar looking person with a long red coat, sitting by the front desk. She jumped up her seat. "Ah!! It's the nice guy!"

"Quiet, Tsukasa!" Kagami whispered as she pushed her sister back in a sitting position. "What did you see?"

"It's that nice guy who helped me during the last full moon… the one we also met at the hospital when we went and checked on Akihiko-Kun!"

Kumiko tilted her head up to watch. "Huh? Where?"

"There, by the front desk!" Tsukasa suddenly pointed a finger, almost causing the server to lose his balance as he placed dishes on the girls' table.

"Oh yeah… now I remember…" Kumiko mumbled, her eyes lost in her thoughts, fixed on his slim figure about to eat his ramen bowl. "That's right… he loved this place…"

Then they all saw another person sitting next to him: Akihiko.

"Figures…" Konata chuckled. "I tell you, there's something special between those two…"

"Shh! I can't hear what they're saying!" Kumiko and Kagami gestured with both hands to hush.

"How can you eat the same stuff over and over without getting tired of it?" Akihiko asked as he watched his friend eat.

After chewing a few noodles, Shinjiro paused a moment, without looking at Akihiko. "Shut up. You always eat that protein shit."

Meanwhile, the server arrived with Akihiko's special. After eating a bit of it, the silver-haired boy looked at his rough-looking friend. "We've found a few new members. Things have changed quite a lot since you left."

"So?"

"Think about it, Shinji. Don't waste your power."

"My power ain't worth shit. I made up my mind back then: I ain't going back."

"You should let the past go."

"Who's talking…" Shinjiro muttered as he stood up. "You're no different than me." He said as he left.

A few instants of silence followed as the five girls stood there, sticks in their hands as steam came out of their ramen bowls. A silence that was broken by Miyuki. "I did not know that Aragaki-San was a Persona-user as well… I thought he only was a rough, yet kind person… did you know, Fukuyama-San?"

Kumiko didn't answer: she simply kept on gazing at the place where Shinjiro was sitting a few minutes earlier, sadness in her eyes.

"Hello? Kumiko-San??" Kagami shook her classmate's shoulder, trying to bring her back to reality.

Konata's smile broadened, in a kitty-like way. "A-ha! NOW I see… he's your first love, isn't he??"

Kumiko started to blush. "Seriously, I have no idea of what you're talking about…"

"Oh, but your face tells me everything…your icy attitude changes every time he's around… come on, you can tell me! You liked him, huh?? HUUH??" The small girl asked as she kept on nudging Kumiko.

"Wh…no! We just used to be classmates…" The nice-looking girl said, turning almost purple, as she kept on eating ramen. "If he didn't quit the school two years ago, he'd prolly be your classmate as well…"

Konata smiled in a more playful way. "Oh, REALLY…"

"Yeah, really!" Her eyes softened. "…but… I sure was surprised… how much he changed since two years ago…"

Miyuki put her sticks down. "Quit the school? What for?"

"I… I don't know… but… he suddenly changed… he seemed like… devoid of all the will to live. Wonder if it's related to his potential…" then, feeling her teammates' unasked question, she said: "Yeah, I knew… I knew about him being a Persona-user… and he knew about me…"

Tsukasa sighed. "It's so romantic… it almost feels like fate intertwined your lives…"

Kumiko's head sank lower, almost touching the ramen bowl. "I told you, we weren't like that."

**07/07/09**

Shinn was sitting on his room's bed, thoughtful. Exploration in Tartarus was much more intense in the last three nights due to Rei's warnings about an operation taking place soon, causing Kumiko to intensify the training regimen even though they all already reached the highest check point possible; thus, he came back to the hotel as soon as the class was over. The boy sighed as his thoughts returned to the loss of his family, the loss of her sister. With a groan, he dropped himself on the mattress and lied there, staring at the ceiling. After a few seconds, he took out the pink cell phone and slowly examined it, turning it in his hand. He left out a hoarse cackle as he felt his eyes watering.

Then, his thoughts were interrupted by a knocking at the door. Immediately he stood up in a sitting position. "Yes?"

Rei's voice came from outside. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Uh?... well if you have to." Shinn replied as he walked to the door and opened it. "What is it?"

"I have a favor to ask you, Shinn-Kun. I've heard you're good with the computer… especially when it comes to hacking."

Shinn's eyebrow arched. "…so?"

"Well" Rei started while giving him a ticket with a website on it. "I was hoping you could check this website and hack its protection, so we can pinpoint where it comes from. It must be done for the next operation."

Shinn nodded while looking at him with an arrogant stare. "…and why, may I ask, you want ME to do it? Your computer is way more powerful than mine."

"You're right. You'll use mine."

"That's not what I meant!" The boy slapped his forehead. "Can't YOU do it?!"

"…oh, I see. You don't think you're good enough for this…" the professor mumbled while cupping his chin and smirked.

"Oh yeah?! Well you'll see! I'll hack your dumb website before you get the time to say 'Commence the operation!'!!...um… by the way… when IS the next operation?"

"Tonight."

"Ah, Okay th… WHAT?!" Shinn couldn't help but wince when he heard that.

"Haven't you checked the calendar?" Rei asked as he walked through the doorway. "It's a full moon today, so we're going to have an operation tonight. You should know by now."

"That's not the point!" Shinn cried while waving his arms, frantically. "Couldn't you ask me to check that a couple of days ago?! It's evening now, I only have a few hours left!"

"…and I'm sure you'll handle it just fine." The professor said before closing the door and leaving. All Shinn could do is sink his head in disbelief and frustration as he slowly walked to his desk to start working on the computer.

--

At midnight o'clock, all of the Kagayaku members gathered together inside Rei's room. When they got there, they found Shinn as well, sitting by the big computer. Once they all sat down, Rei cleared his voice and gestured to the computer. "Thank to Shinn here, we were able to pinpoint the location our operation will take place to. Thanks for your hard work, Shinn-Kun."

Shinn's chair turned around so he could face everyone: his eyes were swelled and red, as if he stayed a good deal staring at a big screen or something. As an answer, he left out a weak moan.

Kumiko raised a hand. "What are we to do in this operation?"

Rei gestured Shinn to sit among his teammates as he took his place in front of the computer. "I assume you have heard of the revenge request internet website, haven't you? I mean, kids at school tend to talk about it…"

"Yeah, Miyuki told us about it…" Kagami nodded. "You mean it's not just a rumor?"

The professor shook his head. "I wish it was just a rumor… but yesterday, I accidentally saw this suspicious URL while checking a computer after the computer class was over and found it out."

Miyuki gasped. "You mean even people from our school used that website? How atrocious!"

"As I was saying, I asked Shinn to hack the website, so to see where this revenge request service comes from, since he's good at this kind of stuff."

"HAH!" Shinn immediately hopped up his seat and raised a fist. "Such a job is nothing to a genius like myself!" he said right before his legs started wobbling and he collapsed back on his seat as he felt dizzy.

"Just a moment." Kumiko placed a hand before the professor. "What does it have to do with us? It's not our job to chase a bunch of murderers."

"Normally not." Rei explained. "But some particulars about the murders themselves are fishy."

"Particulars?" She asked.

"First thing first, the murders occurred in areas where you can usually see lots of people… yet, it appears that no one noticed anything suspicious… one moment the person is alive, and the next one he's dead with no one noticing… and no clue of sort!"

Kumiko grunted as she frowned. "…it's clear enough, we're dealing with professional assassins."

A few seconds of silence followed after, as the whole team mused about the gravity of the matter without the website. Then, Athrun came to the following assumption: "Unseen… yet out in the open…wait… what if the murderers could take advantage of a situation they couldn't be seen in?"

Tsukasa's head tilted. "What do you mean?"

"Let's assume that those people could move within the Dark Hour… they could easily commit a murder, since transmogrified people wouldn't be able to see them."

"Of course, we're assuming that our 'avengers' are Persona-users or something like that." Kumiko mused with a grimace.

"In any case," Miyuki added. "it looks clear enough that those are people who know well how to adapt themselves to the Dark Hour… maybe even too well."

Rei nodded. "Exactly. And that's the precise reason I want you to investigate the matter!" With that, he started typing something on the computer and the map appeared on the screen once again. "Now, according to what Shinn found out, the revenge request service comes from… here." He said as a portion of the map zoomed in: it was a small internet café located in Port Island, a bit southeast from Gekkoukan High School.

The professor then glanced at Miyuki, intimating her to summon Personomicon and check the status of things. Miyuki winced as she was brought back after spacing out and hopped on her feet, focused and silently summoned her book-shaped Persona which loyally appeared in front of her. After a few instants, her eyes reopened. "Hmm… there's a big shadow in the Iwatodai area… one of the buildings on Shirakawa Boulevard to be precise… and… I sense six Persona-users in the same area… SEES… but it appears there's no one in the internet café we have to check… it appears we're lucky."

"Come to think" Athrun mused. "I think some… friends of mine… told me about how those people affected by Apathy Syndrome were lately found in pairs in the Shirakawa Boulevard… so they advised me against bringing them there."

Rei scratched the rear of his head and frowned. "Sheesh… why am I not surprised of you wanting to go there?"

"Um…" Tsukasa nervously switched her gaze between Athrun and Rei. "What is this Shirakawa Boulevard place?" she asked, causing both to let out a naughty chuckle.

Konata approached her and patted her shoulder. "Let me explain. Shirakawa Boulevard is a renowned love hotel… people go there and have some dirty fun… you know what I'm getting at, right?"

Tsukasa tilted her head, confused. "Um, no…"

"That matter is irrelevant." Kumiko said as she readied her chakrams. "Let's focus on the task we got in our hands. To the internet café!"

"Roger!" Everyone replied as they rushed outside the hotel.

--

"Aren't you done with that door yet?" Shinn asked as he tapped his feet, looking at Kagami and Tsukasa trying to open the internet café. They've been trying to open it since almost ten minutes and it wasn't going to budge at all.

"I should have seen it coming." Athrun sighed, passing a hand through his dark hair. "Makes sense the place is closed…"

Konata approached the two sisters, asking if she could try and open the door. As the two stood back, the small girl grabbed the door knob and turned it as she pushed the door, vigorously. Instantly the door opened, causing the two twins to let out an embarrassed cackle.

Shinn scratched his cheek, perplexed. "Why didn't they lock the place? Aren't they afraid of thieves?"

"It only makes things easier to us. Let's go!" Konata proclaimed with a satisfied smile as she walked inside the internet café, the rest of the group in her tow.

Silence reigned supreme in the café, as the bloodlike liquid dripped by the wall clock and the desk, staining the floor here and there. All of the computers were off, as to be expected.

Shinn shook his head. "I don't see how we're going to find any clue here. I mean, if there is any valuable info, it will prolly be within a computer… but it's the Dark Hour!"

"Come to think" Kagami thought aloud. "How can Kuro-Sensei's computer operate within the Dark Hour?"

Kumiko approached a locked door by the farthest wall of the room. "Just like Mitsuru's bike, Rei-Sensei's computer is made with a special technology, allowing it to work within the Dark Hour… if these 'avengers' can operate within the hidden hour themselves, they're bound to have similar technology somewhere… but I doubt it's in this room."

A loud noise caused everyone in the room to face the direction he came from, fearing it could be an enemy or a shadow; all they saw was a hand-clenching Tsukasa, a fallen drawer at her feet, a series of papers and other junk scattered all over the floor.

"Tsukasa! SHHH!!" Kagami whispered nervously.

"I… I'm sorry!" Tsukasa cried.

"Huh? Hey, what's that stuff?" Athrun asked, approaching the drawer. It was a series of white paper sheets, the ones you use to print, but no important record of sorts. Then, under a few papers, he found a shimmering key-shaped object.

Before Athrun could check what it was, Konata swiftly grabbed it from his hands and lifted it over her head while imitating a fanfare. "You did it, Tsukasa! We can use this to open the door!" she giggled as she approached the door Kumiko was standing next to and skilfully passed it through the lock and opened it. "There! I opened it!" she squealed with a jump.

Immediately, the six teenagers walked down the staircase beyond the door, but were soon greeted by a bunch of shadows blocking their way. Immediately, they took their weapons and asked Miyuki to analyze their weaknesses as they used physical attacks on them. Their blows were enough to intimidate the creatures and weakened them. The shadows knew they would have been killed, but decided to put up some fight: some of them countered with physical moves, others with elemental skills. As Tsukasa took care of the healing asset, the rest of them pulled out their Evokers and used their Personas' skills in order to wipe the shadows away once and for all.

"Well, they weren't THAT though…" Konata puffed as she stretched the arm she wielded her sword with.

After a few staircases, the group reached an underground room. Despite its small size, it donned quite an impressive computer which could easily match Rei's and, just like the professor's, it was operating during the Dark Hour!

"A-ha! Bingo!" Konata said as she showed the victory sign.

"Don't you think it's all too easy?" Athrun asked as he put his gun away. "I mean, we haven't met any hostility except for those shadows… one would think those guy wouldn't want someone else to get their classified info if they're pros and all…"

_Athrun is right…_ Kumiko thought. _It's almost as if they WANTED us to get here… are they trying to lure us into a trap… or they purposely want us to unveil the truth? Nevertheless, there's no use in turning back… and if it IS a trap, we'll just have to smash it!_

"OK, guys! Leave this baby to me!" Shinn smirked as he sat in front of the computer. "I'll make this canary sing in no time!"

Immediately he started typing savagely on the keyboard, breaking several passwords in a heartbeat, until he reached a pop up box requiring a tag to input. Kagami suggested to try and input Dark Hour, but nothing appeared. Athrun then suggested to input Tartarus; when Shinn did it, the computer asked for the "Kirijo" search criteria.

"Kirijo?" Miyuki asked telepathically via Personomicon. "Such as the Kirijo Group? I know it has a great influence over the area but… what can be the connection between that and the avengers?"

Shinn's smile broadened. "Well, we're about to find it out, I guess…"

With that, he inputted "Kirijo", but all he caused with the computer was a pop up box saying "Access denied: corrupt data". Shinn stood there, frozen for a few seconds; he then said no, over and over, gradually raising his voice and then started to pummel the computer in a savage rage; it took the group's combined effort to stop him!

"Hey, what's that?" Kagami asked, seeing that something appeared on the screen.

"Data about the Kirijo Group and Gekkoukan High School… it's all info about ten years ago!" Kumiko mused as she checked the monitor. "Why should this organization have info about THAT?"

"Who cares!" Konata blurted. "Hurry up, Shinn! Read, click, do something!"

Immediately, Shinn resumed to work on the computer, but most of the links' access was restricted for some reason or another. Shinn then decided to save those data and bring them back to the hotel for further investigation.

A male voice shouted from upstairs. "Who's there?!"

"Dangit! They're back already?!" Kagami cried

"Looks like we'll have to get out of here the hard way…" Kumiko muttered as she readied her bladed rings. "Shinn, you stay here and continue saving those data!"

As Shinn kept on working on the computer, the rest of the group dashed upstairs. Immediately, they ran into Kurz, the cross-dresser.

"Figures… I should have seen it coming…" Kumiko mumbled, placing a hand on her forehead.

"You never give up, do you? This is the second time you're in my way, bitches!" he said with a grimace. "Look, I don't wanna mess with you, but I can't have those idiots to suspect my intentions… so I'll make it plain and simple, so even dim-witted wenches like you can get the drift. Surrender quietly and MAYBE I'll let you go."

Kagami started to feel goosebumps and quivered. "Ugh! Saying these things with FMP Kurz's face… why must he resemble to him that much?!" She grunted, causing him to shoot with his scope gun. Seemingly, he purposely missed.

"Hey, nice aim, hotshot!" Konata smirked. "If you're always like that, we have nothing to fear from ya!"

"…just for you to know" Kurz said, pushing his blond hair backwards. "if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have never gotten this far… I've left hints everywhere in the café!"

"Really? How nice of you." Kumiko shrugged. "I guess you'll let us go quietly, then?"

Kurz readied his shotgun once again. "You haven't been listening, ecchi girl… I have to keep up my reputation, so I can't allow you to go."

"So why letting us get the info in the first place?" Athrun asked.

"I have a good reason for that." The blond cross-dresser puffed. "That idiot Takaya thinks he and his measures are perfect and that no one can stop him… how one like him can be our leader will always be beyond me… so I decided to teach him a lesson by letting you breach our security program and get info from us."

Kumiko chuckled and shook her head. "…what kind of proof will we provide to your leader if we're dead? Your logic just won't do…"

Kurz didn't reply immediately. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came from it. He just stayed there, pointing his finger at Kumiko. He then changed his facial expression and drew a gun from under his skirt and cried: "Enough! Enough!! I'll kill you all, bitches!!" Then, he pointed the gun to his own head and smirked.

"Look out!" Miyuki screamed. "That man is a Persona-user!"

"Too late!!" Kurz shouted as he pulled the Evoker's trigger and some sort of teddy bear wearing Char Aznable's helmet appeared above his head.

The Kagayaku kids didn't flinch; they just stood there, doubtful, staring at that cute and defenseless-looking Persona, while Athrun just cleared his throat.

"Err… what kind of Persona is that?" Kagami asked, arching an eyebrow.

Kurz just smirked. "Ever heard of the Red Comet? Well this is the PED Comet!"

The five of them glanced one another and then faced Kurz. "…OK…?" they all said.

"Well you'll change opinion once you'll see its power!!" He proclaimed as the bear-shaped Persona started to focus his energy. Soon after, he released a strong gust of fire on the five Kagayaku members.

"Everyone!!" Miyuki cried via Personomicon.

As soon as the flamed disappeared, they noticed that it actually made no real damage to them, it just singed their clothes a little.

Kurz jumped back as his so-called Ped Comet disappeared. "I…impossible! My Maragi skill is ineffective?!"

"HA! I knew you were all talk." Konata chuckled as she wiped off her chin and readied herself to the counteroffensive.

Kagami halted her with her arm. "No… I'll take care of him.!"

The girl with pigtails stepped forward, causing Kurz to slide backward. Then, she took her Evoker and proceeded with summoning Bonta-Kun, which assaulted the blondie with his machinegun and grenades. He then leaped on the cross-dresser and started stomping with one of his feet. After less then half minute of stomping, Kagami's animal-shaped Persona disappeared in the thin air, leaving Kurz on the ground, badly beaten.

"Aaaah! I feel much better now!" Kagami said as she stretched.

"Well done, sis!" Tsukasa merrily approached his older twin sister.

"Yep, good job, Kagamin!" Konata raised a thumb to her friend. "…just, leave us a piece of action next time!"

Then, a movement caught the corner of their eyes as they saw Kurz slowly getting up on his feet, his whole body quivering because of the pain and the great effort. "I'm… I'm not done yet… I won't die so easily…" he panted.

Kumiko puffed. "Well… talk about someone who's as tough as a cockroach."

"You bitches are forcing me to use a strategy I didn't want to…" he said. Then he moved into a battle stance and prepared to charge. Just when Kagayaku was bracing itself to his assault, Kurz turned his back and started running off. "Sorry, I can't afford to be killed here by you! I still have too many things I want to enjoy! I'll let you go THIS TIME!" He screamed from afar, leaving the whole bunch speechless.

A few instants later, Shinn rushed upstairs with a few CD-roms. "Sorry, a few data were hard to record, I had to find other ways to save them… you OK? Where's the guy?!"

Konata placed both hands between her head and sighed. "I dunno what that was about but we took care of it."

"Well, we got a good chunk of info anyway… so there's no use in staying here any longer." Kagami said.

"Right." Kumiko nodded. "Let's go back to the hotel before that guy's companions come here." She then felt someone's eyes looking at them and looked around, shaking her head when she realized it was no one and walked alongside with her comrades back to Kotobuki hotel.

Little did Kagayaku know that someone was actually observing them; it was two people observing from a rooftop: one was Shinjiro, the other was a young man in black with short brown hair.

"Looks like things went smoother than expected to them…" the youth in black mused. "Oh well, Athrun is with them, so I guess there was no point in worrying about them…"

Shinjiro examined the guy's face… he looked incredibly worried, despite his words. "Incoherent as always. What you thinkin'?"

"'They' will surely not allow tonight's fiasco to be overlooked… and that will result in a conflict between Persona-users factions… I can't help but thinking… this can't end well…"

Shinjiro puffed. "Here you go with your pacifist shit again… if you're THAT worried about them, why dontcha just run to your friends and help'em?"

The boy shook his head. "I… I can't… not until I'm 100 certain-"

"I don't care about your reasons, Kira…"

The youth in black, Kira, quietly shook his head. "I'm just trying to avoid further casualties… if this continues, not just the Lost, but Persona-users as well will die… if it's not stopped…"

"…I know what you're tryin' to say… you want me to go back in SEES and help my friends to stop 'them', right? First Aki, now you…" Shinjiro muttered swaying his gaze to Kira.

"But Shinjiro…"

"I told you… I have nothing to do with this… You can't fight without a good reason."

"But there IS a reason to fight…"

"What? That hollow crap about peace and justice? Don't make me laugh…"

"You can't talk yourself out of it! Forget about 'them' and-"

Shinjiro started to walk away. Then, he stopped on his tracks, without looking at the mild-looking one.

"Anyway, Kira… about that thing I asked you…"

Kira lowered his head. "…I told you. I won't use that… not on someone in your conditions!"

The punk smiled bitterly. "…I figured you would have said that… just think about it, 'kay?" he said before walking away, letting Kira deep in his thoughts.

_**Kira Yamato: **A mild-mannered teenager and probable Persona-user who seems like knowing Athrun. He's looking for the truth about the Dark Hour on his own and ran into Shinjiro during his quest for the truth. He's quiet, thoughtful and easy to depress and highly dislikes destructive conflicts. Shinjiro hinted he has a special power, but what kind?_

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!!**

**Konata: **Next, on PERUSURI…

**Junpei: **Meh. Who cares about the next episode?

**Konata: **Hey, aren't we in a bad mood?

**Junpei: **So what? Just leave me alone- OUCH!! She kicked me!!

**Konata: **Stop moping around, silly boy! Summer's coming!

**Junpei: **Summer, huh?! Tch, summer… Summer? hey, you're right, Kona-Chan!

**Kumiko: **Ah… summer… the sunshine, the beach, the vacations…

**Athrun: **The babes…

**Junpei: **You said that, bro!

**Yukari: **Tch… boys…

**Konata: **Boys will be boys, Takebaka.

**Yukari: **Who are ya calling Takebaka?!

**Shinn: **Talking about babes… who's the blondie over there?

**Kenji: **Who? The weird yet cute one with the metallic headset?

**Shinn: **Well, she's a cutie herself, but I meant another one…

**Mitsuru: **Meanwhile, both teams are getting closer and closer to the truth…

**Akihiko: **Which one will reach the goal first? The match has begun.

**Kagami: **… it isn't a match, but whatever…

**Kumiko: **Talking about matches, I'll have to work hard for the meets.

**Kenji: **We'll do fine, Kumiko-Senpai!

**Kumiko: **But what is the mysterious group of Persona-users known as Strega?

**Fuuka: **And what is their purpose?

**Miyuki: **This and more in the next, exciting episode of Shin Megami Tensei: PERUSURI.

**Kenji: **"Golden summer"!

**Tsukasa: **You really… really, really, really, really, really, really don't want to miss it!

**Konata: **Don't forget to read and review! See you next time!

**BLUE VELVET: The PeruSuri trivia channel: Ep.4**

**Elizabeth: **Hello and welcome back to Blue Velvet. I am your host, Elizabeth, and this next to me is…

_**Elizabeth gestures to the seat next to her, where Akihiko is sitting**_

**Elizabeth: **…um… what are YOU doing here?

**Akihiko: **What? I've been called in the studio by you! You are to interview me!

**Elizabeth: **That's Maxwell's seat though.

**Akihiko: **And? He's not here…

**Elizabeth: **You have a point… OK, stay there… too bad for Maxwell but, whatever… so, as my guest just said, today's episode of Blue Velvet will be about interviewing the cast of this fan fiction. Today, we'll interview a character from each one of the series involved in the project: Persona 3, LuckyStar and Gundam SEED Destiny. So, let's start our interviews here in the studio with Akihiko Sanada, who's acknowledged as one of the top favourite characters by the P3 fandom… especially girls.

**Akihiko: **Hi, everyone!

_**The whole room trembles as a strong squeal is heard**_

**Elizabeth: **What's happening?

**Akihiko: **Ouch… sorry about that… my fangirls… their squeals are really powerful… one day they almost deafened me!

**Elizabeth: **It must be tough…

**Akihiko: **It IS.

**Elizabeth: **So tell me… what do you think of your own popularity?

**Akihiko: **I'll tell you… there's just one thing I'm mostly complaining about… and that thing is the ridiculously high amount of Shounen Ai and Yaoi material about me and Shinji. I mean, come on…

**Elizabeth: **So you're going to dispel the rumors about your relationship with your childhood friend, right?

**Akihiko: **Precisely.

**Elizabeth: **So tell me… what about your romantic life? You planning to get yourself a nice girlfriend?

**Akihiko: **You see, there's only one thing I'm mostly focused on as I am now… I'm talking about sports! In Akihiko Sanada's vocabulary there's no room for words like "love" and "girlfriends"!

**Elizabeth: **…you aren't exactly dispelling those voices…

**Akihiko: **I know, and I'm sorry about that, but… well… it's true.

**Elizabeth: **Changing subject: what is your opinion about being in PeruSuri?

**Akihiko: **It feels rather good. Having a new group of Persona-users adds fuel to the fire. I love having rivals, it motivates me! Especially Fukuyama, she's pretty tough for a girl… she's a bit like Mitsuru, if you know what I mean… you don't want to get those two mad, believe me… and, talking about Kumiko... hopefully the fic will develop in a way she's not end up heartbroken… I'd say more but it would come as a spoiler. People should just play the game or keep on reading the fic to know. As for me… I hope I get a nice ending myself!

**Elizabeth: **Any last note before we conclude our interview?

**Akihiko: **Well, there was this scene in the game, where I pounded a table out of anger… I did it so hard I ended up with hurting my hand, so, in the end, the scream I left out was of pain… still, the developers must have liked that scream… they decided to use it. When I rewatched the scene, I couldn't help but chuckling, while everyone around me were weeping… now that's embarrassing!

**Elizabeth: **OK, I think that's enough. Thanks for your time. See you again in Persona 3 – FES!

**Akihiko: **Yeah. See ya! _(Leaves)_

**Elizabeth: **Now, from the Kotobuki Hotel, two Kagayaku members, who represent Lucky Star and Gundam SEED Destiny. Maxwell?

**Maxwell: **_(In the screen) _Thanks, Eliz. I'm here in the Kotobuki Hotel to interview Miyuki Takara and Shinn Asuka from Kagayaku.

**Shinn/Miyuki: **Hello!

**Maxwell: **A little info about the two of them: Shinn is the only Coordinator in the SEED universe the authoress doesn't dislike… as for Miyuki… well, the authoress decided to interview her first in the Lucky Star cast to make Duran the Warrior happy. _(Winks)_

**Shinn: **So that's why we're the first Kagayaku members to be interviewed…

**Miyuki: **That is a lot of responsibility!

**Maxwell: **You know… there are plenty of people in the authoress' world that don't seem to especially dig the two of you… what do you think about it?

**Miyuki: **Um, I don't understand why, honest! I mean, I always try and help everyone, I seldom get angry…!

**Shinn: **…I must be frank, I'm not surprised at all. I guess that's part of being what I am in my original series… but hey, at least I can be quite fiery when in battle, not like a pair of Coords I know… let's make no names…

**Miyuki: **Well, at least the authoress and Duran-San don't dislike us, that's something. _(Smiles)_

**Maxwell: **And let me tell you, Miyuki, I think you're quite an enchanting lady. I wouldn't mind working alongside you in the Blue Velvet show… Eliz is so bossy and- _(Gets Armageddon-ed by Elizabeth's Pixie, leaving a smoky crater in front of the two Kagayaku-ers)_

**Shinn: **Whoa!! What a blast!!

**Miyuki: **Um… Maxwell-San? Are you alright?

**Maxwell: **_(Smoldering) _I…I'm OK… it takes me more than that to bump the Demon Artist off! But for my sanity, I think I'll change subject… so tell me, how does it feel as far as your new life Persona-users is concerned?

**Miyuki: **I'd lie if I tell you that it doesn't scare me at times… but knowing that my simple power can be of use to my friends when in danger is a great joy to me. I hope my power can prove itself even more useful in the upcoming battles! There's only one thing I especially feel uneasy about: Zala-San's advances!... but every time he approaches me, he gets mysteriously booted to the head… how weird…

**Shinn: **I'm not exactly happy of the whole situation…for now, I just want to hurry up and be done with this battle, so I can finally go back home and take care of my business… but… on the other hand, it's been a while since I lived such an ordinary civilian life and I don't mind that… To tell the truth, I'm a bit confused!

**Maxwell: **You'll have more time to ponder a decision as the fic goes on. Aside that, how do you feel working with the P3 cast?

**Shinn: **I don't know them well enough, but they don't look like bad people… although that Kenji guy looks kinda clueless to me… I doubt they can accomplish much with such a klutz as their leader!... sometimes I worry about them, especially Fuuka… she doesn't seem suited for such a battle.

**Miyuki: **Really? I think that Shugo-San is quite an interesting person. His face tells me he's very creative.

**Shinn: **…What a relief… he looks like a numbskull to me…

**Miyuki: **Now, now, Asuka-San…

**Shinn: **It's true, though!

**Miyuki: **Me? Well I love all the new people I met in the Gekkoukan High School. Even Moriyama-San, who showed she's not as bad as we all thought and became Yamagishi-San's dear friend… I look forward to meet the rest of the cast!

**Maxwell: **You and love: how is your love life going since attending your new school?

**Miyuki: **_(Blushes) _HUH?! I…I…Isn't that a bit intimate as a question??

**Shinn: **Don't worry, no one will ask you that kind of thing… he just wants to know if there's someone in the school you like and such.

**Miyuki: **Aah, now I see… I totally misunderstood… sorry!

**Maxwell: **Everything is forgiven to such a cute little lady! _(Looks around, hoping no one is going to hit him with a flying boot or worse… then sighs in relief)_

**Miyuki: **Let's see… I can't say I get much attention from the guys… at least, not as much as, say, Kirijo-San or Takeba-San… but there has been this person from my same grade… he never approached me THAT way, but… he's very sweet… well you'll know more by reading the fiction. _(Slight blush)_

**Shinn: **Well there have been people questioning about me liking Fuuka… now, it's not like I like-like her… I mean, I like her, but not in that special way!... I want to protect her like a big brother protects a little sister, that's all!… if you want romance with me… aw, I won't spoil anything! Just read the darn thing or watch GSD!

**Maxwell: **…you have no idea of how things will turn out in the fic, right?

**Shinn: **Shut up! It's logical I don't know, this isn't my series to start with! I can only hope this will turn out better than in GSD (Not that it would be that hard, mind you…), but I'm not that optimistic… _(Grabs Maxwell's shoulders) _I…I will stay on the stage, right? They won't center the story on another SEED-er in the middle of the fic, right?

**Maxwell: **I…I don't know… we'll have to wait and see what the authoress has in mind… but since she ISN'T a Kira fan, who knows…

**Shinn: **NOT a Kira fan, huh? Well I'm at an advantage point then… there's still hope!

**Maxwell: **Definitely… she said that she totally admires your battle insight, which goes beyond the "God-mode and Beam-spam" strategy Kira always applies… you only need to be a little less bratty…

**Shinn: **_(Frantically waves both arms and legs) _It's not true! I am not bratty! I am not!! WAAAAAAAAH!!

**Miyuki: **Now, now… let's go back to our rooms, Asuka-San… Do you mind, Maxwell-San?

**Maxwell: **Like Allelujah from Gundam 00 would say: donmai. Thank for your time, you two. And Shinn, good luck with Super Robot Wars Z! _(To the camera) _It's all from Kotobuki Hotel.

**Elizabeth: **Thank you, Maxwell. Well, our time has once again ran out. I look forward to see all of you here again in the next Blue Vel- _(Notices a silver-haired man with dark clothes and jolts)_.

**Silver-haired man:** Later days!

**Elizabeth: **……………..er… and you are?

**Silver-haired man: **Akihiko Sanada… you know, the one from the Persona: Trinity Soul anime?

**Elizabeth: **…we didn't call for YOU… besides, the episode is over…

**Akihiko: **Just doing my job. I'm a well-paid cameo, you know! I'm paid to break into other people's houses and use them as I prefer. _(Drinks something and spits it out) _Hey! This thing is undrinkable! _(Gets elbowed by Maxwell and flies outside the room)_

**Maxwell: **Akihiko Sanada, GET OFFA MY SEAT!!

**Elizabeth: **Nice!... um, how did you get here so fast?

**Maxwell: **Plot device, Eliz. Plot device.


	6. Chapter 5: Golden summer

_**CHAPTER 5: Golden summer**_

**07/08/09**

Konata was patiently waiting in front of her shoes locker, holding her school bag in both hands and rolling her body back and forth with her ankles. She didn't get any chance to talk with Junpei since the last full moon and, seeing he looked all serious, she thought something might have happened during SEES' last operation. She wanted to be there to cheer him up, since she always does it for dear friends.

"Ah, here he is!" she thought aloud, as she saw her capped friend walking to the school entrance with a very fast pace. Immediately, she stretched a hand to him. "Wassup, dude!"

Junpei didn't answer. He just kept on walking with the same pace. Konata didn't seem to like it; she puffed and then leaped in front of him, stretching both arms and legs outwards so to block the path.

"Hey!" she blurted. "Aren't you gonna say hello?"

As if his mind snapped out of some trance Junpei winced for a moment and then fixed the cap on his head. "Ah… sorry… didn't see ya, Kona-Chan." He said without looking at her.

Konata crossed her arms and nodded. "I'll forgive you… for now!" she then looked up to him and smiled. "You, me, a match with the mech simulator in the Game Panic! How'bout it?"

He seemed like hesitating for a moment. "Uh… sorry, Kona-Chan… I gotta go study, since exams are coming up…"

Konata stood there watching him run off. "That's new…" she mused aloud while scratching the rear of her head. "He never took school and studying seriously… it's almost as he's been… AVOIDING me!"

"Right. Especially since you never work hard in anything!" A female voice said at her back. Konata turned around to face Kagami.

"I don't understand that guy, Kagamin." The small girl puffed. "One day he's all perky and cheerful and the next day he's all glum and anti-social!"

Kagami cupped her chin with a slight smile. "Maybe he's tired of getting bad grades and decided to get a little more serious about exams… you know, a CERTAIN SOMEONE should follow that example…"

Konata faced her friend with an annoyed expression. "Did anyone ever tell you that you're such a nag when exams approach?" she then faced the direction Junpei left to. "Anyway, I think it's more than just that… maybe it's related to SEES?... probably SOMEONE has been mean at him!"

"I haven't said anything to him, just for you to know!" Yukari said as she approached the two of them. "He's been acting like that on his own, it's not my fault!"

Konata crossed her arms and smirked. "Did anyone bother to teach you that overhearing is impolite?… Takebaka!"

Yukari seemed like being irritated by that nickname. "This is the fifth time in a week you called me that way! Stop it!"

"OK… I'll stop… if you stop calling Junpei 'Stupei'!" The little girl gloated as she ran off, leaving both Kagami and Yukari in awe.

**07/11/09**

Once the class was over, Kumiko headed down to her shoes locker. Immediately, she unlocked it and winced as she noticed a paper envelope over her shoes. She could feel her whole face turning red as she grabbed the envelope and opened it. She couldn't believe it! A love letter for her?

What she read once the letter was out changed her expression in a fairly annoyed one: "Gather everyone together in the lobby. We must talk about something important. –RK."

Kumiko curled the letter in her hands and angrily threw it outside. _That idiot!! Making fun of me with such a childish prank! _

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I see you're all here…" Rei said as he sat to the table with the Kagayaku members. "That means that Kumiko-Kun has gotten my message."

Kumiko drummed her fingers on the table, looking around. "The only reason I don't remark that is that I'm polite and don't swear…"

"So… why did you call us? It is about those data we gathered in the last operation?" Athrun asked.

Both Rei and Miyuki nodded. "With Miyuki-Kun's help, it took me less than expected… we found lots of interesting info about the Dark Hour and Tartarus… and the Kirijo group."

"You mean" Athrun asked with a shakily voice "that they're somehow involved in all of this?!"

The professor nodded with a serious expression and started explaining. "I don't know if you heard about this, but there was a big incident in this area, ten years ago… an explosion by the Gekkoukan High School."

Kumiko interrupted. "Oh, right… I remember that… that's what prompted my parents to move… it was big news back then since many people died… but again, for some reason, no student was injured."

"No but…" Rei resumed his explanation while fixing his glasses on his nose. "… I've found out something peculiar as I checked a few school records: a large number of students was reported absent back then… and they all had to be hospitalized after hearing a strange voice and collapsing."

Shinn's eyes opened widely as he choked. "It's just like the girls who used bully Fuuka!"

Athrun grunted. "So that means that the shadows are involved as well… but what's the connection between all of this? And what does it have to do with Tartarus and the Dark Hour?"

"I'm getting at it. Don't rush me!" Rei said with a grimace as he stared at Athrun, coldly. He then cleared his voice and continued. "The Kirijo group conduced some researches on the shadows, discovering some hidden abilities within them… abilities that also seem like involving time/space phenomena… and thus, they tried to harness them for their ends… that'd be fourteen years ago, under the supervision of the former leader of the group, Kouetsu Kirijo…"

Kumiko nodded. "Mitsuru-San's grandfather."

Rei didn't reply, he simply nodded back.

"They wanted to use shadows in order to manipulate time and space?! What for?!" Shinn asked.

Miyuki shook her head. "We couldn't get that information from these data."

Rei's expression became more worried as he passed a hand over his mouth. He then shook his head and resumed his explanation. "Whatever the original idea was, it was sure to change the world drastically. Kouetsu Kirijo assembled a specialized teams of scientists… and… you might be surprised of who was part of that team!"

"Who?" They all asked.

"An eccentric scientist named Shuji Ikutsuki."

This caused everyone except for Rei and Miyuki to jump. They all were surprised about that. Shuji Ikutsuki… a scientist? And one who worked to a crazy experiment with shadows for the Kirijo group?! Did the SEES kids know about it?

Rei waited a few seconds and then continued: "Then, ten years ago, their experiment reached the final stage… but… the power of the shadow they were using for the experiment was just too much and greatly altered the world's balance, resulting in the Dark Hour and the appearance of Tartarus."

Miyuki continued Rei's explanation. "As for the gigantic shadow they used in the experiment, its body split into twelve pieces, which only appear during the full moon nights… and… as you can easily imagine, the reason why the school turns into Tartarus during the Dark Hour is…"

"…because that's the place where the experiment was conducted…" Kumiko frowned. "No wonder, since the Kirijo group basically OWNS the area."

"…and the Kirijo group recruited the SEES kids in order clean up the mess they made back then, right?" Shinn asked. His voice made clear he was trying hard to keep calm.

Kumiko closed her eyes. "That's one way to see it."

Shinn got up from his chair. He couldn't clearly take any more of that. "Wait a minute! That means they're just being used by the group!! How can they go along with that?!"

"I think it's obvious! They're not telling them! The Kirijo group is deceiving them!" Kagami spat back, angrily.

"Deceive? You think?" Kumiko coldly asked. "They decided to join SEES on their own, no one was ever forced to… well… unlike Mitsuru, that is."

"Mitsuru? What about her?!" Athrun inquired.

Kumiko shook her head. "It's not my place to tell you this. I want to respect her privacy. But I can tell you one thing: those who made that fateful mistake were punished already… and those who didn't die back then will always live in the shadow of what happened. Mitsuru is bearing the burden herself… just as we all are doing right now. We aren't any different."

_That's right… _Shinn thought. _We're Persona-users as well… so we're all involved… just… are we just being used like the members of SEES?_

"But what about the shadows from back then?" Tsukasa asked "Why did they came back just now? I mean, it's been so many years!"

"That's one thing we need to verify. That and if this all will really end once they're taken care of. Regardless, we must act quickly, if we want to protect this city." Rei said, leaving all of the teenagers in deep thoughts.

**07/12/09**

Kumiko was walking through the Port Island Station square. She just kept on walking and walking, as if she was driven by some unknown force, her eyes not meeting anyone. As she approached the staircase leading to the back alley, she spotted Akihiko walking away and hid, deciding to avoid him. _Why did he come here…? Must be because of him! _Once her classmate was gone, she swiftly walked down the staircase. On the steps leading to a pub was sitting Shinjiro, both hands in his coat's pockets, as always. She could feel her chest filling up as she approached him.

"Jeeze…" he muttered. "To think I told you to not come here over and over… don't tell me you're gonna ask me to join your team… if that's so, I'll tell you what I already told Aki."

Kumiko quietly shook her head. "No… I just wanted to see you."

"OK, you saw me. Now get lost."

"Come on! We've always talked!… admittedly I don't know you as much as Sanada-Kun, but…why do you keep on treating me as a complete stranger?"

Shinjiro didn't reply. He simply tilted his head in an interrogative way as she leaned to the wall.

"You may have forgotten me, but I couldn't… you and Sanada-Kun were the first ones in my classroom who didn't think I was a weirdo… although you often teased me back then, there was no actual malice in your ways."

He closed his eyes with a smile. "…so it WAS you, Kumi."

She graced him with a slight smile. "Been a while, Shinji-Kun"

"Why did you come and see me? You have plenty of other friends now. You don't have to waste your time with me." He grimaced.

"No, but… I haven't talked to you in a while, so I wanted to make my birthday a bit more decent… I'll probably spend my birthday party with just my grandmother… my mom lives in another city… and when I think about my father, well…"

Shinjiro sighed. "Is that it? That's the problem with girls, you just complain about every little thing. Since when do you whine about every single little crap? I thought you were tougher than that, Kumi…"

Kumiko left out a bitter chuckle. "Maybe you're right… it's just that so many things happened in such a brief notion… I try and act cool and collected, but sometimes, I feel like my head's going to explode…I'd just like to break down!"

"Heh… typical of you… always wanting everyone to think you're the 'ice vixen'. why don't you just try and be yourself for a change? You can't pretend nothing can faze you forever. If you want to let out your feelings, just let'em out."

The girl frowned as she stopped leaning on the wall. "Funny coming from someone who preferred disappearing rather than talking to his friends when he needed them the most…" she said as she walked upstairs.

As he watched her walking upstairs, Shinjiro thought of the conversation between himself and Akihiko just a few minutes earlier: his friend, as well, told him to not lecture him after quitting the fight like he did two years earlier. "…you're just as stubborn as Aki."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagami kept on walking back and forth within the hotel lobby, under the concerned eyes of Athrun, Miyuki and Tsukasa. She had been upset since the meeting they had the previous evening, the thought of the Kirijo group using SEES to erase their mistake was too much for her to handle.

"Please, sis… calm down now!" Tsukasa shakily pleaded as she watched her elder twin with growing worry.

"I… I can't be calm! It just ticks me off! That Kirijo Group has been kept this whole mess secret all this time and used the SEES kids to clean it up with no one knowing it!"

"But it can't be helped!" Miyuki tried to calm her down. "It's not like people are actually going to believe everything is happening… besides they also have to think of their position."

"I know! But that's not what makes me so mad! What makes me mad is how they involved people who had nothing to do with this without thinking twice just to play god!"

Tsukasa was about to say something, but couldn't find the right words, so she stayed silent instead. _Sis must be worried about Sanada-Kun… I only hope Kenji-Kun will be OK…_

After thinking for a few seconds, Miyuki spoke up. "We should investigate further on the incident of ten years ago. Even the info we gathered so far weren't much… for one, we couldn't know the exact purpose of that experiment… if we could check the Kirijo group's real intentions, maybe we could prevent further tragedies to happen… and in case, we could warn the SEES members."

"But how are we to get those info?" Tsukasa asked, placing a finger over her lips. "Those must be classified info under the strict supervision of the Kirijo group…"

Athrun passed a hand over his face and then faced the girls with a decisive stare. "Let's access their database." He said, causing the three of them to gasp.

"W…we can't do it! It's illegal!" Tsukasa cried.

"I know it's dangerous… but it might be the only way for us to know the truth about it. I'll ask Kurohagane-Sensei once I get the chance. Just trust me!" He said before walking upstairs.

The three girls shared a concerned look. "…but Kuro-Sensei never listens to him…"

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Junpei was sitting on the steps in front of the theater at Port Island Station. His frowning expression was a clear contrast with the bustling lively image of the big square.

A familiar voice caught his attention, but he acted as if he didn't notice. "Hey, so you were here!"

He didn't reply, he just glimpsed in the direction the voice came from to see Konata rushing towards him. The small girl took out a pamphlet and started fanning herself, inside her T-shirt. "Phew! Today is really hot… to think we're basically facing the sea, imagine how hot it is in a big metropolis!" She chuckled, more to herself than to Junpei.

Once again, she got no answer… the capped teenager simply nodded.

Konata simply sat next to him. "Say, we didn't get the chance to hang around together lately… and you always looked so down… I was worried there was something wrong with you. Let it out, pal! Tell it all to Kona-Chan!"

"…Why are you always like this?" He muttered.

"Huh?" She turned around and looked at him, perplexed.

He faced her, anger and frustration in his eyes. "It's all just a game to you, isn't it?! Do you even take anything of this seriously?!"

Konata stared at him for a while, in awe."Look, I was just trying to-"

Junpei rose up on his feet, still looking at her. "You still wanna know what's wrong with me?! Fine, I'll tell ya! I'M what's wrong! When all this mess started I was like 'fighting is my duty, so I'm gonna fight'…but, damn, fighting is the only thing I'm good at… weren't I a Persona-user, I'd be completely worthless!… still, I can't fight worth shit… not compared to HIM!"

"But…Junpei-Kun…"

"Dammit, nothing I do is good enough! But what can YOU understand?! It's all nice and easy to you, you must never work hard for anything! You'll NEVER really understand how I feel! So just leave me alone…!"

Half of a minute of silence followed after. Junpei sat back on the stairs while Konata kept on looking at him with a seemingly neutral expression. She then broke the silence. "I guess you're right… I can't understand you, because you won't open up to me! But you really think moping around like that will help?"

Junpei didn't reply, but his face made clear he didn't want to continue the conversation any longer.

The small girl couldn't take that anymore. She turned her back to him and started walking toward the station, angrily. "OK, I'll leave you alone! See what I care…"

Once she was up the staircase, Junpei left out a hoarse, bitter cackle. "What to be expected…? A lame guy like me can't even treat friends properly… man, I really do suck…!"

He then noticed Konata rushing back to him and blinked; the girl didn't say a word, she just stood there in front of him for a few seconds; then, she violently kicked the lad right in the shin and re-walked back toward the staircase, leaving him to kneel down and moan in pain.

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With a very deep sigh, Shinn sat on the bench lying under the cherry trees in the playfield, right next to the Naganaki Shrine and stood there, watching the kids playing. Normally, that would have made him reminisce of his family and would have felt sad and depressed. Strangely enough, not that day: he had so many things in his mind he didn't even have time to get lost in sad memories. The Kirijo Group, the Dark Hour, SEES, Kagayaku: all these thought caused his head to spin. _The Kirijo Group wanted to manipulate time and space… is me being drawn here a result of it? _He asked to himself as he stared at the ground. _And now that group uses Persona-users to erase their mistakes…that means that we could end up with being used ourselves… or are we already? Nevertheless, nothing has changed since I was warped here… isn't there any way for me to get out of this mess?!_

His attention was then caught by parents coming and picking up their kids, some of the children being happy, some others begging their parents to stay a little bit longer, but complying in the end. After a few minutes, the playground was deserted; only a single child stayed there, alone: a little boy with an orange and brown soccer outfit.

Shinn approached the boy, asking if his parents worked far away from there.

"I have no parents… I just wanted to stay here." The kid replied with a perfectly neutral voice, despite the gravity of the matter he was talking about.

The teenager's eyebrows arched as he stared down the kid, surprised to see in his eyes – the eyes of an elementary schoolboy – the same sadness he always saw when he looked at himself in the mirror. This made him think that the boy could have lost his family due to someone else… just like him. Shinn rubbed his nose and chuckled. "We're in the same club huh… I'm Shinn. What's your name, little guy?"

The child looked at him, serious. "I'm Ken… but… please don't call me 'little guy'."

Shinn left out another cackle. "Hey, I thought you might have said that! Anyway, if you're not waiting for your parents, who are you waiting for?"

Ken nodded with a smile. "The shrine girl… you know her? It's this kind girl with a very nice cleavage who attends a high school around here."

Shinn didn't exactly know what to answer: he didn't expect such a remark about a girl, not from an elementary schoolboy! _Just… how old_ _is this kid? _He thought as he blushed.

"Since my mom died two years ago, that girl and her grandmother took real good care of me…"

"Ah… I see…"

"Shinn-San…? You said you've lost your parents, right?" Ken asked as he lowered his head.

"Huh…?" Shinn blinked, his blush fading away. "Why you ask, kid?"

"…Could you move ahead and keep on living your own life despite this massive loss? Is there a way to do it?"

Shinn was speechless. All he could expect, except for a grader asking him about such a delicate matter… "…you know what? I really don't know what to say… I'm clueless myself!"

The little boy left out a hoarse cackle. "I'm sorry. That wasn't an easy question to answer…"

"Nah, don't stress about it…"

"…I asked you because… well, um… I think the only thing I can do right now is getting rid of the cause… I mean, if someone took something precious away from you, wouldn't you want him to be taken care of?"

A realization struck the teenager like a lightning. _This kid… lost his family by someone else's hand? I guess we aren't that different then… but… it was already hard enough for me, let alone such a child… _

The child smiled with a slight blush. "…I usually don't talk about this with other grown-ups, but… I can tell your situation isn't too different from mine…"

"Definitely…" Shinn mumbled in awe. Then his mind snapped and realized it was almost lunchtime. "You're not too bad for a kiddo… hope we get to talk more." He said as he threw something to Ken and walked away.

The kid opened the envelope around the small thing to see it was a piece of candy. Seeing that, he pouted. "I'm not a little kid…!"

_**Ken Amada: **__An elementary schoolboy and an orphan who often comes to play to the playground by Naganaki Shrine. Even though he's just a child, he often acts in quite a precocious way by making unexpected remarks or drinking black coffee and doesn't like to be treated like the child he is. His mother died two years earlier and it appears the cause wasn't natural… _

**07/16/09**

It had been three days since the that term's final exams started. All of the Kagayaku members were gathered in the Kotobuki Hotel lobby, which was shrouded in the grimmest of silences. When he descended the stairs to the lobby, Rei looked around to see everyone's faces: they all looked like ghosts, completely drained of their energies. Even Athrun and Miyuki, who were no pushovers when it was about schooling.

"Tough tests, everybody?" The computer teacher asked with a soft chuckle.

He got no response, aside a disgruntled moan on Kumiko's part.

"Well I have some news for all of you that will cheer you all up."

Kumiko slowly rose her head. "…did they make a reformation to ban midterm and final exams for good?"

Rei scratched his cheek and kept on smiling. "Well, no. But listen… do you all have plans for the summer break?"

Tsukasa smiled sheepishly. "Well, me and my big sis are planning to go back and pay a visit to our family…"

"How cheesy… summer is made to go to the beach." Konata nodded, a serious expression on her face.

Kumiko replied: "Now that I wouldn't mind at all… I love the beach…"

"Me too…" Athrun sighed.

Konata and Shinn shared a smart glare. "Yeah, especially the babes in bikini, huh?"

"Why do you ask, sensei?" Miyuki asked,

"Well, have you ever heard of this place named Yakushima? It's a very beautiful vacation site and the beaches are sandy with crystal-clear water."

Kumiko left out another sigh. "Just my favourites… too bad Yakushima isn't exactly a cheap place to spend vacations to…"

Rei chuckled, satisfied. "Normally, yes. But I happened to have a place of my own in Yakushima, big enough to host all of you. How about it? Once these exams are over, you'll have a small break from school, and…"

"…a group of teenage girls at their teacher's place… it sounds kinda pervert if you ask me." Kagami said, embarrassed.

"Didn't you hear, sis?" Tsukasa said, trying to cheer her up. "Kuro-Sensei invited all of us over. That means Shinn-Kun and Athrun-Kun are coming with us!"

Kagami didn't reply, she simply thought: _That worries me even more… we'll have to handle TWO pervs…_

"Oh please, please, please! Let's go, Sis!" The short-haired twin begged, staring at the older twin with sweet, sparkling eyes.

"Well I'm going!" Konata gloated. "It's not an everyday event when you get the chance to visit a wealthy vacation place without paying! I want to take advantage of this…"

The girl with twin tails left out an exasperated sigh. Then, to Shinn. "What about you?"

Shinn pointed a finger at himself and paused for a bit. He then said. "I don't have plans for summer… so whatever…"

As the teenagers kept on talking about the upcoming break with more and more excitement, Rei started to walk upstairs. After a while, he was caught up by Kumiko.

"Rei-Sensei… why Yakushima?" She asked a bit coldly.

Rei fixed his glasses and stared at her. "What, you don't like Yakushima? I thought you liked sandy beaches? Besides, the girls in bikini are exquisite there."

"You don't give me that." Her eyes were as piercing as blades. "Knowing you, you have a reason to pick up that particular place for that break…"

The man closed his eyes with a slight smile. He then shook his head. "Heh… you don't miss a thing. Well you're right, there IS a reason I got a place of my own there… you see, that's the place a survivor of the incident that occurred ten years ago will have his summer break to."

Kumiko frowned. "…?! Are you talking about…"

"Excatly…" the professor replied, his face becoming more serious. "Takeharu Kirijo: current leader of the Kirijo Group and Mitsuru Kirijo's father."

**07/18/09**

"Yay!! It's finally over!"

Konata's tiny voice echoed in the classroom, which started to get empty as the students walked outside.

Kagami rested both hands on the desk and smiled. "I want to hope you used that energy in the test too."

The small girl pointed a finger to her friend. "Who cares about the test? I'm thinking about the break to the beach now!"

Kumiko left out a slight chuckle. "I have to admit I'm almost as excited as she is."

After talking for another while about the break, the five girls started to walk to the school exit. Around midway, they ran into Junpei, who looked very awkward for some reason. Konata looked at him with a neutral face, which made him feel even more uneasy.

"Um… Kona-Chan…"

"What?" She coldly asked

The capped teenager scratched the rear of his head. "I… I was a real jerk lately and… sorry if I offended you… are we still cool?"

After thinking for a few seconds, she smiled at him. "I might. But you owe me a videogame match one of these days!"

Then both of them shared a thumbs-up and smiled. Then, the six of them walked outside where they saw Shinn, Athrun, Fuuka and Natsuki. Immediately, the Kagayaku guys caught up with the girls.

Shinn, for one, looked really glad about something. He told everyone that Fuuka and Natsuki were getting real along, which was a great relief to him. Then, Miyuki noticed a deep-looking scratch on Athrun's face, but the dark-haired senior just said "Don't ask.". Shinn explained that Natsuki was asking Fuuka to stay with her for a "mandatory study session", but since she couldn't at the moment, Athrun proposed to let him help… the rest was obvious.

As the team walked away, they spotted the board chairman, Shuji Ikutsuki, approaching the SEES members, a little boy in his tow.

Shinn stopped on his tracks. "Ken?!"

Immediately Kumiko turned around to see the scene. "Ken? Ken Amada??"

"Huh? You know him?"

"Well, me and my grandmother took care of him since the kid's mother was involved in some incident…"

Shinn smiled nervously and blushed, thinking back of Ken's remark. "But what is he doing here?" He asked more to himself than to Kumiko as he tried and overheard the chairman's explanation. All he could make out was him being safer in the Iwatodai dorm and the fact the kid had the potential. This latest notice caused him to scream "WHAT?!" and forced the whole Kagayaku team to hide behind the wall.

"What did you hear, Shinn?" Athrun asked.

"That weirdo with glasses… Ikutsuki… he said that the kid has the potential!" Shinn nervously whispered, causing everyone to jolt and then look at Kumiko, as to ask: "Did you know?"

The dark-haired girl looked like in awe herself. "Now that's a surprise… I didn't know he was a Persona-user as well! But… letting a kid join SEES?"

**07/20/09**

Right after getting off the ferry, Rei escorted the Kagayaku kids to his place in Yakushima. Everyone was just surprised to see that the professor's vacation place was quite a luxurious villa, not any less flashier than all the others. As soon as they came in, they were greeted by a shimmering marble floor with a majestic blue carpet, pillars rising here and there and expensive-looking plant pots. The walls were filled with paintings of beautiful women resembling to certain anime characters.

"Woo!" Konata jumped around like a little girl. "It's as big as the Rygs' mansion in Wild ARMs 5!"

_Yeah… _Kumiko thought with a chuckle _Except that in this case, the master is a pervert professor, not a manly yet kind ninja…_"I'm positively amazed, Rei-Sensei. How can you, a computer teacher, allow yourself such a place?"

"Who said I'm JUST a computer teacher? I have many other jobs, you know? Did you forget I'm also in charge of the RK?"

The teacher then clapped his hands. After a few instants, four housemaids appeared: one had smooth, long brown hair and a very sweet and innocent face; the second was a lively-looking maid with orange hair; the third looked like a timid yet diligent maid with green hair and glasses; the fourth was a blonde little girl carrying a big teddy bear.

The brunette bowed down to the group. "Welcome to Rei-Sama's vacation house. I hope we can be of your service."

Konata examined the four housemaids thoroughly, unable to shake away the feeling those four girls looked insanely familiar to some girls she saw in an anime.

"These are this house's pride." Rei nodded merrily. "Hope you can get along. If you need something, you can ask them."

Kumiko rested her head on her hand. _Don't know why, but I expected something like this… but on the note Konata said earlier… he sure likes good-looking maids, just like that WA5 guy…_

"Now" Rei said with a smile. "Why don't you go to your rooms and prepare yourselves to go to the beach?" Then, to the brunette. "Chikaru… could you please escort them to their rooms?"

Chikaru nodded and asked everyone to follow them. As Kumiko started to walk upstairs, Rei held her.

"Oh, Kumiko-Kun… I've prepared something special for you to use during this break…" with that, the man took out a very skimpy bikini and showed it to her. "You'll be sure to make the whole beach guys go 'YOWZA!'… Don't worry, it's your cup size… um… D, isn't it?"

Kumiko's expression didn't change, she simply took out her chakrams and put the blade on one of them really close to Rei's neck. "…OK… you have five seconds to tell me HOW you came to know about my cup size… then I'll kill you…" she coldly muttered.

Rei didn't seem to be fazed by her threats and kept on smiling. "Aw, you know me, Kumiko-Kun… you know I am a good observer."

The girl released the guy with a grimace and muttered. "Why don't I just go to the beach…" before going upstairs.

Noticing that Shinn was still there, Rei approached him. "Aren't you going to your room to get changed?"

Shinn shook his head. "I… I really don't feel like going… is there any place where I cool off?"

Rei faced the little blond girl with the teddy bear. "Kagome, would you like to give Shinn-Kun a tour of the villa?"

"Please, this way, Shinn-San." Kagome quietly said as she took Shinn's hands and both started walking around.

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Athrun was proudly standing in front of the sea, both hands on his side, looking like God's given gifts to women. He donned green and dark blue trunks and a pair of fashionable sunglasses over his head. Looking around for girls to notice him, he cupped his chin and grinned. "Ah, the seaside. The perfect hunting ground for such a hunting pro. I'll make all the ladies in this beach mine, yes sir!"

A small voice echoed at his back. "Gee, are you done rambling?". Athrun looked behind and saw his teammates: Konata wearing her old school's swimsuit, Kagami wearing a sporty black and white two pieces, Tsukasa with a frilly red two pieces and Miyuki with a very sexy-looking black bikini.

"O…ooh, heavenly vision…" Athrun grinned satisfied as he approached the four girls. Immediately, he stretched a hand to Miyuki but before he could touch her, a sharp-bladed chakram almost chopped his hand off. From the water they all could see Kumiko, the other chakram in her hand.

"Watch out! I'm keeping you on eye!" She yelled.

Konata couldn't help but laugh at the sight of it. "I guess some things never change, huh?"

They all then saw three boys approaching them: it was Kenji, Junpei and Akihiko: the first wearing blue swim shorts, the second with orange trunks and the latter wearing a shirt over his swimsuit.

Kenji bowed down to all of them. "You girls're here too? What a coincidence!"

Tsukasa smiled at him. "Yes, we're spending the break at Kuro-Sensei's place."

These words caused Junpei to jolt (And his cap jolted with him). He then shakily pointed a finger at the girls. "…girls… at a teacher's… place…?!"

Konata friendly patted his butt. "Pull your head outta the gutter. Shinn and Athrun are with us too, it's not just us girls…"

"Anyway…" Akihiko shyly interrupted. "Have you girls seen anything to use as a marker? I was hoping to get a good swim…"

Both Junpei and Konata glanced at each other and then at Akihiko. "You're unbelievable! You have a bunch of swimsuit cuties in front of you and prefer doing sports?!" Konata blurted while gestured at Kagami.

At first, the girl with twin tails frantically looked at both Konata and Akihiko. She then blushed and swayed her gaze. "Hmph! Not that I expect any compliment from you, but…"

After hearing that, the silver-haired boxer stood there, staring at his classmate, his mind undeniably pointing how remarkably cute she was. Akihiko blushed and lowered his gaze, murmuring: "It looks… er… pretty good on you…"

"Look," Kagami replied, both hands on her waist "you don't have to force a compliment just because Konata-San told you to say something…"

"I'm not forcing anything…" He said, barely audible.

Junpei punched the palm of his other hand, a satisfied smile on his face. "Ooh, I know! We're gonna have a swimsuit contest!" he then gestured at Kagami. "Contestant nr.1 is miss Kagami Hiiragi! Her swimsuit choice is both simple and very pleasant to watch. Let's give her a warm round of applauses!"

"Please, stop it!" Kagami cried, as she became almost purple.

Junpei walked closer to Konata. "And now contestant nr.2: Konata Izumi!" He then looked at her a little better, noticing her peculiar choice of swimsuit.

"What?" she asked. "It happens to enhance my loli charm, don't you agree??"

The capped teenager rubbed his nose with a chuckle. "I don't know if it's devious or appealing, but I gotta agree with you on that!" He then approached Tsukasa and Miyuki. "Next is contestant nr.3: Tsukasa Hiiragi!... hmmm… I must say your swimsuit enhances your natural cuteness, Senpai!"

Tsukasa didn't find the words to reply so she simply giggled in a sheepish way.

"And now contestant nr.4: Miyuki Tak… woo…"

Miyuki blinked as she blushed slightly. "Um… is something the matter?"

Junpei could only emit a moan as if he were in a trance. Kenji grabbed him and slapped him through the face. "Thanks man… it's just that… her adorable face… and that bikini showing all of her…"

Konata nodded with a playful smile. "…you mean the swimsuit enhances her natural sexiness? Totally agree on that… Yuki-Chan should wear a swimsuit everyday!"

Miyuki gasped and covered herself while blushing violently.

"Hey!!" Kumiko's voice echoed again from the water. "Isn't anyone coming here to swim? The water is wonderful!"

Akihiko left out a satisfied chuckle. _Fukuyama's here, huh… this could be a good chance for me to challenge her in a swim contest…_

"Yo, Kumiko-Senpai!" Junpei frantically waved his hands. "Come and participate to the swimsuits contest!!"

Kumiko shrugged and shook her head with a slight smile. She then walked outside the sea water, showing her swim team swimsuit. Seeing that, Junpei's jaw dropped as he left out an exasperated sigh. "Man, what a waste…you have such a bomb of a body and you restrain it inside that cheesy swimsuit?! A girl as hot as you should wear a skimpy bikini!... on a second thought, this way, you and Kona-Chan kinda remind me of two sisters from a H game I've been playing."

The girl blushed slightly and knelt down in the water, so to not be seen.

"Nevermind!" Junpei gloated, both hands behind his head. "I think I'll follow your example and swim!" Then, imitating a fanfare, he jumped in the water, followed by Konata, Tsukasa and Akihiko.

Meanwhile, Yukari, Mitsuru and Fuuka approached the group, they all wearing their respective swimsuits: Yukari wore sunglasses, a pink and light blue bikini top and blue jeans shorts; Fuuka wore one similar to Tsukasa's, except it was light blue and Mitsuru, the most beautiful of the three, wearing a white bikini, embellished by a big red flower over her left shoulder and a white satin veil tied on her waist. Athrun was in complete awe as soon as he saw her.

"Woow, Mitsuru… you're the most beautiful girl I saw so far…" He said, utterly satisfied.

Mitsuru swayed her gaze, blushing because of the compliment. "… I, uh… didn't expect to meet you here, Zala…"

The young man wrapped an arm around her shoulder while fixing his sunglasses on his head. "Heh, I'm really starting to think we truly are connected by the red string of fate…"

Last thing Athrun knew was Mitsuru's rapier stabbing him over and over and then getting kicked in the sea, being left there, floating like a corpse. Then, the red-haired girl walked to Miyuki and greeted her.

"Why are you here?" Yukari asked, suspicious.

"Oh? Kurohagane-Sensei invited us all over in his villa here. Asuka-San is here too, but he didn't want to come."

Yukari looked at her, frowning. "Really…? How convenient…"

"I don't mind, Takeba." Mitsuru smiled. "After all, Kagayaku members, like us, are trying to figure out the reason of the whole situation and are trying to deal with all of it. As long as one team doesn't interfere with the work of the other, it should be fine."

The brunette's frown became deeper. _Just as always… it's always YOU taking all the decisions, we don't matter, huh? I still think we shouldn't trust them so much… _She thought as she approached the water, wetting her legs up the ankles. Her thoughts were then interrupted by someone splashing water on her. Angered, she turned to the direction the splash came from and saw both Junpei and Konata, acting innocent.

"Knock it off, Stupei! It's not funny! You'll ruin my new sunglasses!" Yukari cried.

"Hey!" Konata chirped. "If you don't get wet to the beach, what's the point of coming? Come on, Junpei-Kun! Let's get the Takebaka!!"

Junpei's smile broadened. "CHARGE!!" And both of them started splashing the brunette mercilessly.

Meanwhile, Kumiko and Akihiko were having a series of swim races, mostly ending in her victory or a tie. After an underwater race, both classmates' heads popped out of the water and inhaled, merrily.

"Ok, I acknowledge my defeat…" the silver-haired teenager proclaimed in-between light breaths. "You truly are worthy of your 'mermaid' nickname, Fukuyama! How can you swim that fast underwater and endure so much?"

Kumiko pushed her hair behind and looked away while blushing. "Stop it… I only won because I'm in the swim team… if we competed in a boxing match, the result would have been different."

"A defeat is a defeat, no matter the field!" he said as he crossed his arms. "Consider yourself good, Fukuyama. You're the first person to beat me, sportwise."

"Yet…" she gestured at Kenji, who was swimming back and forth at an incredibly high speed rate while Tsukasa was having a hard time swimming behind him. "…I still am a slowpoke compared to THAT guy…"

"I think you'll have no problems for the tournament, then." Kumiko's classmate chuckled.

The girl nodded. "He's amazing… he doesn't look very sharp but seems like being able to do virtually everything…"

"Hey, why don't we make a few races with him? We can use him as a target to reach so to become faster!" He said as he resumed his swimming. Kumiko sighed and dived in the water after the two of them.

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It was around 6:30 pm when the Kagayaku members returned to Rei's villa after the pleasant day to the beach. They all were a bit tired, but felt really relieved (Maybe except for an aching Athrun…). Once they reached the gateway, they were greeted by a man coming out of the villa: he was dressed like a refined gentleman, wearing a dark suit and a tie, but his eyepatch over his right eye made him look a little bit scary. When Miyuki and Tsukasa greeted him, he simply nodded and kept on walking.

"Wow… what a scary-looking person…" Tsukasa whispered, a hand over her left cheek. "A friend of Kuro-Sensei's?"

Kumiko blinked, perplexed. "Uh… I don't think so… who could he be? Looked like a mafia guy…"

They were then caught up by Rei and Shinn. "Oh, I trust you saw Kirijo-San passing by, huh? He might look rough, but he's a real gentleman." The teacher said.

Athrun jolted. "That's Mitsuru's father…? This scary?? No wonder she's a tough one herself…"

Rei then beckoned them all to reach him in the living room, saying he wanted to talk about something important. They could only figure it was related to the head of the Kirijo Group coming there.

"When I told Kirijo-San about my interest in studying time-space phenomena, he realized I was involved in researching the true nature of the Dark Hour. Naturally, my notoriety played a major role in this. I doubt he would have told it to just your average Joe. Anyway, he said that he wanted to atone for his family's sins and decided to give us a few clues. Just like he'll give some to his daughter's group."

Athrun cupped his chin. "I can understand him helping SEES, but why us as well?"

"Yes… one wouldn't expect so much trust… when I questioned that, he said that their family motto was: 'two in harmony surpass one in perfection', making me realize that trust between each other is very important for him."

The professor paused for a moment as he grimaced; then he continued: "According to him, the Kirijo group was originally planning to build a time manipulating device harnessing the power of the shadows… able to change the flow of time and the course of events."

"Aw, come on!" Kagami shrugged. "That's sci-fi nonsense."

Kumiko looked at her with a slight smile. "Wouldn't it be cool though? You could go back in time and erase bad things happened to you."

"You said originally…" Miyuki started to ask. "You mean the group strayed from their original plan?"

Rei grimaced even more as he nodded. "The man who supervised the project, Kouetsu Kirijo, seemed like coming to hate this world very deeply during his latest years… he started experimenting shadows for another goal… something real terrible and inhuman only a madman could conceive…"

A grim silence fell in the living room. Seeing that no one made questions, Rei continued. "Unfortunately, Kirijo-San didn't tell me what the plan was exactly… but I have my theories… and they're all but pleasant…"

"So, in the end, it's nothing but that man's words we can rely on… that's not much as a clue…" Konata mused.

Rei half-heartedly took out a DVD. "He didn't seem like lying… but it's clear something is missing… I especially thought that after watching this. It's a copy I made of footage he showed to me about the events of ten years ago."

Seeing that, the man placed the DVD inside his DVD player and turned the screen on. After a few seconds of flickering, the unsteady recording of a brown-haired man appeared on the screen as something chaotic occurred on the background. The man started speaking to the camera as the image and the sound froze here and there:

"I pray that this recording reaches safe hands... My employer has become obsessed with a loathsome idea. This experiment should have never even been conceived... I'm afraid what I've done will result in an unprecedented disaster... But if I hadn't, the entire world may have paid the price..."

Kumiko frowned for a moment. Was the price the man was talking about related to the end the demon mentioned in her dreams?

From that point, the sound and image definition became fuzzier and fuzzier, but still possible to watch. "Please, listen carefully... The shadows that were amassed here have been dispersed as a result of the explosion. To end this nightmare, you must… eliminate all of them! I am to blame for this. I knew the risks, but I was blinded by the promise of success... And so, I didn't raise any objections... It is all my fault..."

The professor then turned the TV and the player off with a sigh.

"Kurohagane-sensei…" Miyuki said in a very shallow voice. "What is it all about?"

Rei sat on his chair. "His name is Eiichiro Takeba. He used to be a researcher for the Kirijo Group and worked under Mitsuru's grandfather for his big plan… according to my knowledge, he died in the events of ten years ago…"

Konata's mind snapped. "Takeba…! Is he Yukari's father? Was the reason she joined SEES…?"

"But according to this video, he's responsible for the whole situation!" Kagami said with growing worry. "And it appears SEES' mission is the right way to handle the issue…"

Rei eyed Miyuki. "What do you think of this video?"

Miyuki fixed her glasses over her nose and frowned. "I am not 100% sure but… the video itself looks really unstable… and I don't think it's due to the fact it's 10 years old… or a camera malfunctioning… it almost sounds like some parts were… cut on purpose."

The man nodded. "That's what I thought myself… something's totally wrong here… and our job is to figure out what."

Kumiko simply nodded, not really knowing what to say at the moment, her mind wondering about which one could have been the real truth about the events occurred ten years earlier and how to get rid of the Dark Hour. Nevertheless, she could feel their job was far from over. Next to her, Shinn sunk his head even lower, resting his forehead on his clasped hands. Looking at him, Miyuki asked him what was wrong; his only reply was a hoarse cackle.

"…Conjectures again…? How long are going to put up with that?! This is getting ridiculous…" He muttered in a bitter tone. He then snapped his head up at Rei. "Right! Who says that what we're looking for is the absolute truth and not just a messed up lie like the ones I've heard so far?"

His reaction caused everyone to blink in perplexity. Everyone but Rei, who kept on looking at Shinn. The junior rose up on his feet and walked towards' the staircase, stopping on his tracks when Rei grabbed his arm vigorously. "What are you getting at, Shinn-Kun? This attitude of yours isn't helping… if we want to get to the truth--"

"Who says what's true? You?!" Shinn snapped at the professor. "Can you prove that our mission really has a purpose… or you're just making us believe it while using us for your goals?! Well I had enough bullcrap! I'm tired of having to fight to cover someone else's butt!!"

With that, the lad violently shrugged Rei's hand off his arm and ran upstairs. The professor shook his head while glancing at the staircase. "…there's not just one truth… don't you get it?"

Tsukasa shyly proposed that someone had to go and talk to him and make him reason, which prompted everyone to look in Athrun's direction; the womanizing young man shook his head and said he wouldn't have listened to HIM. Seeing the situation, Kumiko decided to talk with Shinn herself.

_**Takeharu Kirijo: **__The current leader of the Kirijo Group and Mitsuru's father. He's a survivor of the tragic events occurred ten years earlier, which seemed like triggering the current time-space anomalies. Nevertheless, he feel responsible for the way his father's action severely altered the world's balance and wants to do something to fix the whole matter… or so he says…_

_**Eiichiro Takeba: **__A scientist who used to work under the Kirijo Group. According to an old record from the Group, he appears to be the primary responsible of the appearance of the Dark Hour, by releasing the shadows the group was experimenting on while these were used in the final stage of their experiment. He's also Yukari's father and the primary cause of her joining SEES._

At first, Kumiko knocked to Shinn's room's door, but got no response at all; after a while, one of the maids, Lemon, told her she saw him going to the terrace, an air of pain on his face. Immediately, Kumiko walked towards the terrace and saw him there, both elbows resting over the wooden railing as he kept on staring at the horizon. At first, she wanted to sound harsh at him and pointed up a finger in an almost stern mother-like way. Before she got the chance to say something, Shinn started to talk.

"You know…long before I was dragged in this place… I was leading an averagely ordinary life with my parents and sister… no, not exactly average… let's just say we were somehow special and that didn't really make things easy for us at times… but we were happy nevertheless…until…"

Kumiko walked to him, resting her arms on the railing like he did. "…Until…?"

Shinn rose his head to the moon. As he kept on telling, he started clenching his fists as his voice became more and more shakily. "We were having some field trip, all together. Nothing too fancy… it was then that… the spot we were in was involved in a battle… a battle due to a massive war raged where I'm from… it was a matter of moments… I went a bit farther to recover my sister's cell phone, which she dropped… the last thing I remember… was a big explosion… and… my family's charred and torn apart bodies…"

Kumiko passed a hand on her own lips. She couldn't imagine Shinn having such a dramatic past; she always thought he was just an ordinary bratty boy.

"Since then… I vowed to get my revenge upon those who caused my family's death… and I kept on fighting for that reason… but… but now I'm stuck here in this place, having to fight a battle that had nothing to do with me in the first place, in a situation I never asked for!" he then dropped his head as tears shyly started to pour down on his face. "I thought… I thought it would have been OK fighting as long as it granted me a way to go back home… but… it never happened... and now I find out that my situation is due to someone else, who uses others just like I'm probably being used… why do I have to put up with this? It's just too much…" he faintly sobbed as he sunk his head over his forearms.

"No one asked for this situation… at least, I never did…" Kumiko whispered, while placing a hand over his trembling shoulders.

Immediately, he shrugged it off while snapping at her. "What do YOU know?! You don't know how it feels losing your family due to a dire situation, so don't start preaching!"

Her face grew grimmer. "I do know how it feels… I've lost many things due to the Dark Hour myself… and I wound up with a power I never asked for, fighting a battle I never wanted to fight… that's why I think I can relate to you, that's all."

Shinn wanted to talk back, but just couldn't. He didn't expect such an answer from someone who always looks as unfeeling as her. Looking at her, he noticed how soft and understanding her gaze was, which caused him to weep even more. "I… I just don't know what to do anymore… I'm so confused… do I have a reason to fight this battle? If there is a reason, please tell me!"

She slowly shook her head. "It's not my place… you're the one who has to find it out… that's also what I told you when Kagayaku was formed, remember?... and once you get your answer, you'll even be free to leave the team if you want to… no one will blame you for that… but if you think there IS something to fight for… don't forget, we're a team, we are to support each other."

Shinn blinked for a moment. He then smiled slightly and wiped off tears from his eyes. "Didn't expect that coming from you… you sure are full of surprises…" he then leaned his back on the railing and sighed. "Heh… I must have looked miserable to you… Don't even know WHY I started talking about that things to you in the first place!... oh well, I think I'm a little better anyway."

The girl scratched her head. _Saying just "thanks" won't kill you, you know… _Then Shinn moved away from the railing and went inside, saying he wanted to have a walk on the beach to cool off.

"Oh wait… you shouldn't go too far!" Kumiko stretched a hand to him. "It's almost the Dark Hour!"

Shinn turned around with a hop and waved his arms at her. "So? It doesn't really make difference where you are when the Dark Hour comes, so who cares? Besides, I'm not on a leash!" He arrogantly said from afar. All Kumiko could do was watching him go toward the beach and sigh with a hopeless smile as she shook her head, wondering if that argument they just had could have a purpose.

As soon as he left the villa, Shinn kept on walking on the sandy beach, not knowing he wasn't that far by the Kirijo family's vacation villa. He only noticed when he saw two people talking, a few meters away from him; hiding behind a palm, he could recognize the two as Kenji and Yukari: the first looking quiet as always as the latter looked quite upset about something. The argument seemed like escalating until he said something to her that caused her to calm down. Shinn left out a slight gasp when he saw him hugging her. _Don't know why, but Konata would have loved remarking this scene… I just know it! _He thought with a slight blush. Then Junpei came rushing, causing the two to detach themselves.

"Awww, on the best part!" Shinn cried, cursing when he noticed that caught everyone's attention and stood behind the palm, no breathing. Then, noticing they stopped watching in his direction, he decided to sneak back to the villa.

**07/21/09**

Rei was tinkering with the computer in his room, inside his vacation villa in Yakushima. After typing something, he left out a sigh. His work was then interrupted by Kumiko walking in.

"Working so soon in the morning, Sensei?" She asked while stretching.

"I'm not working… my computer just caught a peculiar signature." He replied without moving his face away from the monitor. Then, when the girl inquired about the signal, he said: "It appears a machine has been moving on its own from a local lab owned by the Kirijo Group. An anti-shadow weapon they developed, to be precise…"

Kumiko's head tilted. "Is it some sort of automate tank? Want us to take care of it?"

Finally, Rei turned around to face her. "Nah, don't bother. I'm sure SEES will be able to handle the issue… besides, SHE's not planned to attack humans."

The girl blinked. _SHE? He talks about that weapon as if it were human… what does he know?_

The professor put both hands on her shoulders and merrily pushed her outside. "Anyway, let's go to the beach. I'm sure you want to enjoy the place… and I want to keep Chikaru and the others some good quality company. Don't you know that a good-looking girl can't afford to waste time on the beach?"

The girl started to walk, almost causing Rei to stumble. "You'd better not act lecherous to the beach on me."

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"Man… why did I came here?" Shinn sighed deeply as he kept on trailing the way to a beach which was more distant from the villa than the ones everyone went at. As he walked, he arrived to a small vista point to the sea, with a romantic bench to sat on. Immediately, he sat down and looked at the horizon: beyond the grassy cliff he was on, a massive blue sea opened in front of him, made even more beautiful by the perfectly azure sky. The fresh sea breeze had fun with his jet black hair as left out yet another sigh. _I thought it would have helped me to sort out my feelings, but… man, I don't like beaches at all, they only made me rethink about what happened back then!_

Then, a sound caught her attention: the voice of a girl, humming a sad-sounding melody; when he looked in the direction the voice came from, Shinn could see the flowering image of a blond girl wearing a white and blue dress, dancing and singing as if she didn't have any care in the world, her violet eyes sparkling in merriment. Shinn's head tilted, not really knowing how to react to that and then he went back to his thoughts.

His attention was brought back to the girl when he heard her screaming and then a splashing sound. Immediately, he looked over the marble railing on the edge of the vista point cliff, wondering if she fell off and wound up in the water. _No way, man! I doubt one is so stupid! _But he winced when he saw her there, flailing desperately in the water so to stay afloat.

"Wha… she can't swim?!" He thought aloud as he removed his sleeveless shirt jacket and dashed onward to get in the water. Immediately, he swam to the strange girl, who kept on struggling even more, worsening her situation. He grabbed her firmly, trying to get her where the water could be lower, but in all response, she waved her arms even more violently, her nails scratching his cheek and causing both to go underwater. After a hard struggle, he finally managed to drag her where water was lower and leaned on a rock, completely out of breath, just like she was.

Once his breath was back enough for him to talk, he spat at the girl: "What are you crazy, jumping off that way when you can't swim?! What, you want to die?!"

The girl chocked as soon as he uttered those words, her eyes wide open. "…Die…?! No! I…I don't want to die!!" She cried, raising gradually her voice, as she dashed back in the sea.

Shinn jumped back in the water so to recover her. He tried to make her reason, but she kept on struggling even more.

"Noo! Dying is bad!! I don't want to die!! I'm scared!!" She cried as he tried to stop her. She moved so violently she even elbowed him right in the face. "I'll die if I'm shot! No!!"

Shinn hesitated for a moment as a realization struck him: could this girl have suffered a similar trauma to his? Was her happiness shattered because of everyone else, just his was? As if some unknown strength overcame him, he managed to halt the girl's fierce movement and flipped her so to hug her tightly. Finally, she seemed to calm down.

"It's alright," he whispered to her. "You won't die. I promise, I'll protect you…"

The girl hesitated for a few seconds, then tears started streaming on her face as she sobbed faintly, causing him to apologize softly.

"I'm sorry… this is my fault… it's OK now… don't worry, I'll protect you."

She slowly lifted her head to look at his face, her eyes still swelled with tears. "…Protect…?" she asked.

He looked at her. "I won't let you die."

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Kumiko was just done drying up after her swim in the sea and took out a manga to read as she sat under her umbrella. Her female team members were all around her and seemed like enjoying quite a sight. When she inquired about what they were looking at, Konata explained that the SEES guys were all taken in something Junpei called "Operation Babe Hunt": namely, picking up girls. She then added they tried with a few of them and did quite poorly.

"But hey…" Konata mused. "I didn't expect Akihiko-Kun to take part to this operation… maybe he doesn't swing that way like I thought… MAYBE."

"I just don't get men at times." Kagami puffed as she crossed her arms with a blush. "They have five girls right here and don't even bother flirting with them! Besides, we already know each other: picking us up won't be so hard…"

Tsukasa didn't reply to that. She seemed like staring at an empty space for some reason.

A male voice at their backs replied. "That won't do… the real challenge of flirting is always trying to seduce girls you DON'T know. Don't you get it?"

They all turned in that direction to see Athrun, still donning his swimsuit and fashionable glasses.

Kumiko slapped her forehead. "For some reason… that sounds like something you would say."

"Hey look!" Konata pointed her finger to the SEES guys. "Now they're trying to pick up… uh… hey, aren't those Kuro-Sensei's maids?"

"Oh, so it seems…" Miyuki replied while fixing her glasses. "I did not expect to see them to the beach."

Then they all tried to overhear how the scene was going. They could hear Junpei saying that they looked awfully familiar, which caused Konata to remark about thinking the same thing herself. All his words could get was Kagome coldly asking if that was his idea of picking up a girl.

"Oh, I know plenty of other ways to…" Junpei nodded proudly.

Lemon lowered her gaze with a slight blush. "I am flattered, but… well…" she shyly whispered as Kizuna waved her arms to someone approaching.

In a matter of seconds, they all saw Rei approaching to the four maids: he was wearing some tight black swim shorts. Chikaru put her arms around his neck. "… as you can see…we already are in good company." She said with a sweet expression.

The three teenagers couldn't help but jolt at it. The looked at Rei, surrounded by all those babes, in a swimsuit which clearly showed how well-built his physique was… all these girls… all just for HIM?! "We give up… there's no way we can surpass such a guy… it's crystal clear he's too much for us to handle…" Junpei's shoulders dropped. _Still… I wouldn't mind to become like he is now…he truly is the best… just… this girls… who are they? I KNOW I saw them somewhere…_

Both Kenji and Akihiko didn't know what to say at the moment, still in awe; the latter kept on looking inside his own shirt, grimacing about the massive physical difference between himself, a boxer, and Rei, a plain computer teacher: compared to him, the silver-haired boy felt like a stick!

With that, the three of them walked away, looking for another group of girls to pick up. Kagayaku members wondered if this could be the right time.

For once, it seemed like things were going smoothly, as the girl they talked about seemed like going along with their intentions… although she mentioned something about them having no balls and needing to embrace the unknown.

"Looks like things work out this time…" Miyuki commented, clasping both hands together.

"Wait… something is not right…" Athrun frowned. "Yeah, she looks pretty hot, but… for some reason, my woman-tenna tells me something's way off about her…"

It was then that Akihiko pointed something about that beautiful lady: she had hair on her chin! This caused everyone, even the Kagayaku members, to wince, while Athrun said he was right.

Then, the SEES members started to walk away and ended up a few meters away from Kagayaku's umbrella. They' were quite down due to the result of that pitiful so-called operation. Seeing that, Athrun approached them. "Didn't exactly go smoothly, huh?" he asked, causing Junpei to grunt, while Kenji sheepishly asked if he saw it all.

"Well it's not like I wanted to take part of this thing…" Akihiko mumbled without looking at Athrun. "But when I'm in a match, I want to win."

Athrun shook his head. "Picking up girls is not the same as competing in a boxing match. If you do it with that spirit, no wonder you couldn't do it."

The silver-haired teenager was about to talk back, but Junpei halted him, saying that, given Athrun's expertise with girls, he could have given them a hand. Kenji added that after all, it couldn't go worse than that.

The blue-haired senior cleared his voice and looked at the pack. "…I don't even know where to start pointing your flaws… you, Junpei… your methods are too cliché, and your face doesn't exactly give a safe feeling to girls. That's very important to make a contact with a woman."

"For once I agree with you." Akihiko nodded.

"Stop acting all superior!" Junpei spat at Akihiko. "You haven't scored either!"

"Now, now!" Athrun tried to calm the two of them down with a smile. "As poorly as you did, you're lucky you ran into such an expert I am. I'll help you all get a girl no problem!"

He then started looking around for a girl they didn't try to pick up earlier: someone looking beautiful and good enough. It was then that something caught his attention. "A-ha… now that's the perfect target!" he gloated, pointing at the neighbour dock.

Looking in the direction Athrun pointed, the three of them couldn't help but gawk: on the dock was standing a mysterious-looking yet very cute girl with short blond hair, wearing a light blue dress and a bizarre metallic headset. Her inexpressive-looking eyes were firmly staring at the ocean, the wind moving her skirt around. Immediately, the four guys hid themselves behind some rocks, right behind the girl.

"Talk about saving the best for last!" Junpei merrily whispered. "She's so cute…!!"

The Kagayaku senior's smile broadened. "Isn't she? Isn't she? I have good eye."

The capped junior's expression changed in a more serious one. "This is our chances to make up for our failures so far. But instead of going together, we'll go one-by-one!"

The four of them then decided the order of their turns with a rock-paper-scissors match, which was won by Junpei. Before he could head and meet the girl, Athrun halted him. "Wait a sec… I'll go first… after all, I'm the one with more experience… and I promised to teach you how it's done, so it has to be me." He then started to walk to the dock, while Junpei kept on complaining about him winning the match.

As if he didn't hear anything else, Athrun walked to the girl in blue. Before approaching her, he fixed his hair, sunglasses and swimsuit. "Good day…" he started to talk with a very smooth voice. "This big beach is too lonely just for you… Don't worry, I will make it super special for you. You will not be able to enjoy it without me anymore…"

The girl turned in his direction, her face not changing in any expression. "I do not comprehend." She mechanically said.

"Oh come on!" He shrugged with a smile. "What? Do you prefer staying here alone rather than with me??"

"Acknowledged," she said with the same, seemingly artificial voice, her head tilting in an interrogative way. "I prefer staying here alone rather than with you."

This caused Athrun to walk a few steps backwards, in complete shock. _I…Impossible!! I was… rejected?! _ It took him a few seconds to process the shock and walk back to the pack.

Akihiko looked at him with a malicious smile. "…nice shot, 'great master of seduction'."

But Athrun didn't reply. He simply kneeled behind the rock, signing circles on the sand with his finger.

"Geeze…" Kenji scratched his cheek. "Seems like it was such a shock for him…"

"This is what he gets for trying to cheat!" Junpei said, angrily. Then he got up to approach the girl. "OK, wish me luck!"

The capped teenager slowly walked to the girl, his face turning redder and redder. When she first faced in his direction, he acted innocently and whistled, just to approach more when she looked back to the sea. "Um… how is it going?" he stuttered. "I noticed you're staring at the ocean…uh… do you come here often? I am Ju-Ju-Junpei."

The girl faced him. "…Ju-Ju-Junpei?"

"Um, I just want to talk for a moment." He said, becoming almost purple.

The girl spoke in her emotionless, mechanical voice. "…I am looking for a human. You are not the one."

Just like Athrun, Junpei took a few steps back and then ran behind the rocks, facing the others with teary eyes. "She's a tough one, Senpai!" he sobbed.

"Don't worry about me." Akihiko said while clenching his fists. Immediately, he walked to the girl, still avoiding to look at her. "Say, do you like the ocean?" he asked, a bit shakily.

"Is the question addressed to me? She asked, neutral.

"Um, I like the ocean too. Did you know that the triathletes who train at the beach perform better than those exercising indoors?"

"Wow… he actually formed a conversation!" Junpei remarked from behind the rocks.

"That won't do" Athrun muttered, observing the situation. "You can't get a girl's interest by talking about sports!"

"Ah, Athrun-Senpai! You recovered!" The capped one said, looking at him.

"Um… you're sucking your thumb, senpai?" Kenji asked.

Athrun sighed, a single tear rolling through his cheek. "Don't ask."

Meanwhile, Akihiko was still talking about sports and stuff with the mystery blondie. It all went well until she said: "That information is irrelevant.", causing him to freeze in shock. After a few instants, he walked back to the others.

"I won. I talked to her more than both of you." He said with a slight smile.

"This is no competition, you dolt!" Athrun spat to him, literally chewing his own thumb while weeping.

"Man, this sucks…" Junpei sobbed while leaning on Athrun's back.

Akihiko looked at both, awkward. "Stop crying, the two of you… you make me feel bad!"

Then, Junpei grabbed Kenji's shoulder, who blinked. "That's it. If you can't do it, I'll be traumatized for the rest of my life!"

After some hesitation, Kenji moved to the girl, looking at the three of them who kept on silently telling him to go on. Gulping, he walked close enough to the girl and greeted her. Once again she turned around, but this time, she had a slight jolt, which caused Junpei and the others to be curious.

Immediately, the capped one moved out of their hideout, followed by Akihiko, even though Athrun tried to stop him. When the girl noticed them. she said: "Initiating evasive maneuver. Confirmation must be made to a secure location." and started to run towards the forest.

As the three SEES kids moved in the forest to chase the girl, Athrun returned to the other Kagayaku members, defeated.

"Can't be helped." Kumiko shrugged. "Men can't reason when they saw a cute blonde girl, huh?"

Athrun simply collapsed on the closest bed, moaning.

"To tell the truth" Rei said at his back. "I'm not surprised of the result. Believe me, you have no chance to score with her."

"Is that cute blondie a friend of yours, Kuro-Sensei?" Konata asked.

The professor shook his head. "Nah… it's the first time I actually meet her… but more important, Athrun… I just received a call via transceiver by Shinn. Looks like he's stuck beneath a vista point a bit away from here. Are you coming with me to recover him?"

Athrun didn't reply. He just rocked his butt back and forth.

"You're so useless" Rei puffed. Then, to Kizuna. "Prepare a boat. We'll have to recover him by ourselves."

Kizuna made a bunny ears pose with her hand. "Sure thing. Leave it to me!"

As the two of them walked away, Konata resumed browsing an anime-related magazine. Then she winced. "A-ha! Here it is!" she then showed it to everyone. "Look, Kuro-Sensei's maids are identical to the girls from this anime named 'Strawberry Panic!'!"

Immediately, they all moved closer to her. "What a resemblance…" Miyuki said, cupping her chin.

"Come on… it can't be them…" Kagami said. "They're fictional characters!"

_Well, it seems like he knows a good deal about different dimensions and stuff… and he said he studies time-space phenomena…It might be possible to him… still it's surprising! _Athrun thought, without moving from his beach bed.

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Putting away his transceiver, Shinn took a few steps towards the girl he rescued, who was putting her dress to dry on the fire he built. The lad winced when he noticed that she was wearing no bra and immediately turned the other side, frustrated, when she looked at him. Then, she sat by the fire, back by back with Shinn, smiling because she felt warm.

"So," Shinn started, so to break the ice. "what's your name? Are you from around here?"

The girl looked at the fire, as if she was in some sort of trance. After a few seconds, she answered: "Name… Stellar. My town… don't know."

"What about you're family? Who do you live with?"

"Don't know father… or mother… used to live with Neo… Sting… and Auel… then… a big light… now, Stellar lives with Takaya…Jin…Kurz…Dennis…. And Chidori…" Stellar answered, serious.

Shinn felt even worse about that girl, who appeared having no family. Then, he wondered: was the big light she saw the same he saw when he was warped in Iwatodai? Then maybe, that girl could have come from the same world and time he came from? "Well, you're alright now. I, um… I'll stay and protect you!"

She turned her head to face him. "Will you protect Stellar…? She won't die?" She faintly asked.

Shinn smiled at her. "Yes, I won't let you die. Oh, by the way… my name is Shinn Asuka. Just call me Shinn, OK?"

"Shinn…" Stellar repeated with a slight smile. Then, she suddenly sneezed, causing Shinn to tilt his head with an awkward smile. Immediately, he frantically searched his stuff for a tissue pack. Then, when he found it, he turned to Stellar, but she was no longer sitting there; in fact, the girl was searching something in her dress. After a few seconds, she returned to Shinn, which turned around to not watch her bare torso, and gave something to him: a shiny piece of a seashell. He looked at her, as to ask "For me?". She simply smiled.

Shinn turned the seashell on the palm of his hands, his mind unable to think about something else but this girl named Stellar. There was something about her, something peculiar he didn't feel for any other girl. Yes, he wanted to protect Fuuka, but the urge to protect and stand by this girl was much, much stronger. Shinn wondered if it was due to the fact that this girl probably was originary from his same place and a victim of the whole situation, just like he was…

His thoughts were then interrupted by a small horn playing from the sea. Immediately, he looked at the horizon and saw a small motorboat approaching their direction: on board of it there were Rei and Kizuna.

"A-ha! Found him!" The redheaded maid proclaimed.

"What is it, Shinn-Kun? Having fun jumping off cliffs now?" Rei asked with a smart-aleck smile.

"I don't jump of cliffs for fun, y'know…" Shinn grumbled, hands on both sides. "I had to help someone who was on the verge of drowning."

Before Rei could ask who that was, Stellar came closer, causing the professor to frown. _So… she was warped here too…? Maybe it's fate… but… will it play the same or change? Nevertheless, things are bound to get complicated…_

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"We're back!"

Lemon closed the villa's gates as soon as Rei, Kizuna and Shinn walked in. Right after taking the two teenagers in the area, the professor offered Stellar to ride her home, but, for some reason, she refused and walked away on her own, so the two guys and the red-haired maid went back without her.

"So, Shinn" Konata said as she fastly walked to the trio. "Have you found a new hobby?"

The black-haired teenager slapped his forehead with a grimace. "Not you too…"

Rei placed a hand on Shinn's shoulder with a smirk. "Looks like our Shinn-Kun here has found and rescued a lost kitty who was about to drown. A very nice-looking kitty with vivid violet eyes and blond fur."

"See? It's like I said." Kumiko whispered while sharing glares with Konata. "Men can't reason when a cute blondie is around."

Tsukasa, who didn't get the drift, remarked: "Aww, why didn't you bring it home? I would have loved such a cute kitty cat!", causing everyone in the room to glance at each other, speechless.

"By the way… where's Athrun? Why isn't he here to scold me as usual?" Shinn asked, looking around.

Kagami looked in the upwards staircase with an ironic smile. "Oh, him? Let's just say he's still traumatized for being dumped by a very cute girl to the beach and now he's locked in his room, licking his own wounds…"

Meanwhile, Kumiko went to the table with a pencil and a piece of paper and started drafting a sketch of the blond girl Athrun and the SEES guys tried to pick up. "I think this is about how she looked… by the way, Rei-Sensei… you said you don't know her, but you could say there was no way Athrun could pick her up… so that means you DO know her… so, which is it?"

Rei chuckled. "I'm not lying. This IS the first time I actually see her… the thing is, I have data about her and her real nature, so… it's just natural I know."

All of the present teenagers blinked, not understanding what the man meant by "real nature". Seeing that, Rei started to explain. "You see, that girl is no human: she's what you'd call some sort of 'mechanical maiden'; in other words, she's actually a humanoid-shaped anti-shadow weapon which was created about ten years ago as a countermeasure to fight shadows going beyond human control."

Kumiko passed a hand over her mouth, her eyebrow arching. She finally started to understand why Rei called 'she' the tank his computer detected that morning. "Mechanical…maiden…? anti-shadow… weapon…? You mean she's… a battle android??"

"…And I thought these kind of things were only possible in anime! Wow!" Konata happily remarked.

"But that could also explain why she rejected Athrun's advances!" Shinn smirked.

Miyuki sat down, thoughtful. "A humanoid mobile weapon… designed to battle shadows? If she's a sentient machine, it means she can also summon a Persona. She must be equipped with quite a sophisticated AI!"

"Yes, and according to my data" the professor kept on explained "This robot suddenly activated after a ten years long stasis due to the massive damage she got in a battle… but the reason she 'woke up', I can't really say."

Konata shrugged with a puff. "Well, she was made by the Kirijo Group, right? So she's going to SEES, huh? Well tough luck, I wouldn't have minded having a robot in my team…" she remarked before going to the villa's private arcade.

When everyone else went to their own home activities, Kumiko kept on drawing sketches on her piece of paper, a satisfied smile broadening on her face. _A real, living battle android… I HAVE to see it!_

**07/22/09**

For the last day in Yakushima, both SEES and Kagayaku spent the whole day to the beach, together, before leaving for Iwatodai the following day. As soon as they met, Konata and Junpei decided to jump in the water together. A few minutes later, the SEES girls came, the blue dressed girl in her tow.

"And you are?" Miyuki asked with a smile.

The blonde girl looked at her without blinking. "I am Aigis. My mission is to destroy shadows. I have been assigned to SEES." Then, to Mitsuru. "Do we have a mission to the beach?"

Immediately, Kumiko approached Aigis and examined thoroughly, putting her own face a few inches away from hers. At first, she seemed like frowning, then her expression changed into a very pleased smile. "…how beautiful."

Kumiko's remark caused all the present guys to wince, as Junpei started imagining some possible yuri-ish scenes between the two girls.

The brown-haired girl took Aigis' hand and examined her arm. "Take a look at this…! This shape, this design… it's both appealing and functional!" then, she focused on the legs with a faint giggle. "And these parts? Even though the foot segment has no heel, it's still balanced, providing high mobility… and the built-in thrusters making her possible to perform very high jumps!!" She then placed both hands on the robotic girl's shoulders and faced everyone with an incredibly joyful smile, leaving them all dumbfounded. "Such an efficient and good-looking humanoid design!!… she's just like a piece of art, isn't she??"

After less than a minute of shock, Junpei – who's yuri-ish fantasies died out as soon as Kumiko started talking about Aigis' excellent design – looked at Konata with an embarrassed smile. "Hey… what sneaked in her bed last night?! She's, like, completely different than usual!"

Konata wasn't really fazed. "Nah, I think she's just what you'd call a mecha nutty of sorts… she just loves robots and high technology."

"I never knew…" Akihiko scratched his own cheek. "Well, I guess that explains why she could figure out Aigis is a robot so easily…" then, to Kumiko. "But Fukuyama, that's supposed to be a secret, can you please stop jumping around and shouting that?"

Realizing she just lost her usual calm attitude, Kumiko cleared her voice and faced Aigis with a smile, trying hard to not act in a fangirl-ish mode. "Your name is Aigis, hm? That's it, from today, I'll call you Aigis-Chan!" She then took her hand, intimating to come.

Aigis looked at her companions. "Is it part of my mission?" She asked.

Kenji shook his head with a smile. "No, no! We're just here to have some fun… do you know what fun is?"

The android nodded. "Recreation is the refreshment of one's mind and body."

"Right" Kumiko said. "So, let's go and have some fun…!" She then stopped on her tracks and looked at Mitsuru, a bit concerned. "Uh… she CAN get in the water, right?"

"Yeah, I think she's waterproof." Yukari answered.

After a few more steps, Aigis stopped and looked back. "It is best that we all engage in this activity together. An activity in which only one person derives enjoyment is not the optimal method to 'have fun'."

Kumiko chuckled. "Heh, you're right, Aigis-Chan. Come on, everyone! What are you waiting for??"

As everyone else followed after Kumiko and Aigis, Akihiko stood there with Miyuki. He was still astonished of his classmate's change of attitude.

"She's so different right now… she's usually so cold." He remarked.

Miyuki faced him with a smile. "I think we're actually seeing the true Kumiko. Now she's really being herself and finally unlocking her heart. I pray that things will stay as they are… for her sake as well."

_**Aigis: **__A humanoid-shaped anti-shadow weapon developed by the Kirijo Group ten years earlier, prior to the terrible incident. As a humanoid robot, she has a sophisticated AI able to replicate human-like thoughts and reactions, so to enable her to use a Persona. She was kept in a stasis due to some serious damage, but mysteriously reactivated as she sensed something. Once reawakened, she was attracted by Kenji and made of sticking with him her new mission. Her Persona is Palladion of the Chariot Arcana._

**07/23/09**

10:30 PM, back alley behind the Port Island Station. Shinjiro was sitting on his usual spot, surrounded by a series of rowdy-looking punks and skimpy-dressed girls who're mostly complaining about their ass teachers and relatives, smoking and drinking cocktails they got from the neighbour club. Then, one of them saw a pack of six people approaching them. "Aw shit, it's them!" He spat as he walked away, followed by all the other people. Only Shinjiro stood where he was, unfazed. As the group approached, he saw it was the pale young man with long silver hair and tattered jeans and his cohorts, of course including Kurz and Stellar.

The mysterious internet avengers.

The pale man grimaced. "Why do they always run away when they see me?"

_Hmmm… maybe cuz you're as creepy as hell? _"…Beats me." Shinjiro replied.

Then, the long-haired man gestured his green and black-dressed right-hand with sunglasses, Jin, to give the red coated one "the capsules". After receiving those, Shinjiro got up and started to walk away, but Jin stopped him.

"You're acquaintances have been quite busy lately… both groups…" the pale young man stated, coldly. "They're activities when the moon is full, the frequent visits to the tower… why are they taking this burden upon themselves?"

Shinjiro didn't reply.

Immediately Kurz grabbed the punk's shoulder. "Hell you KNOW, don't you?! You want to protect them, huh?! After all, they're all your friends!! Both that SEES group and that ecchi girl from the other group… But there's no use, you dumbass!"

The red-coated punk shrugged the cross-dressing psycho off. "Stop it! I have nothing to do with neither of them."

Kurz was furious, he was about to jump at Shinjiro, but the German fat guy stopped him. "Then you have nothing to worry about. Speak up."

Shinjiro grimaced. "I don't know the details, but… supposedly, if you destroy all of the creatures when the moon is full, both the tower and the Dark Hour will disappear."

Both the pale man and his right-hand jolted. "Why are they doing such a thing?! Using their power to destroy the Tower of Demise?!"

Kurz shrugged with a smile. "Get real! There's absolutely no way those weaklings can destroy that huge thing!"

The red-haired girl in white threw an ice-cold stare at him. "Who gives YOU the right to say that, after you lost to the second group TWICE?"

With that, the six of them retreated, leaving Shinjiro there. After about a minute, two more people approached him: Kira and a girl with mid-length blond hair and brown eyes, wearing mustard-colored pants and gloves and a red T-shirt.

"Man, those people always give me the creeps!" The girl grumbled.

Kira looked concerned. "I don't have a good feeling about this… I'm afraid that the day those people will interfere with the other two groups is nigh. At this rate, a battle between Persona-users will be unavoidable…"

Shinjiro didn't look at neither of them and kept on walking away.

"Shinjiro…!" Kira cried.

"…Hmph… yeah, I know… you already said that an umpth of times… but… you know I won't go back. I can't… not after what happened." He said before leaving for good.

Once he was far away, the girl in the red T-shirt puffed, both hands on her waist. "Hmph! I've met many stubborn guys, but that one's a real champ!" then, to Kira. "What was he talking about? You know about it?"

Kira didn't reply. No, he didn't know about what could have happened to Shinjiro, nor the reason he kept on refusing to fight. One thing he knew: the situation was escalating in a possible crisis and he wanted to prevent it as much as he could. If only he could get into that guy's shell and help him overcome that problem.

**07/25/09**

The classroom's sliding door opened with a loud noise as the coach stepped inside in his green suit and approached Kumiko and the others.

"Here you are, Fukuyama!" his powerful voice echoed in the room. "Sure hope you haven't forgotten about what will happen on August 2nd…"

Kumiko rose her head from her sketches and nodded with a sigh. "I know, I know, Mister. The tournament, right?"

"That's right. You and Shugo have been chosen to compete. So, from July 27th to August 1st, you'll come and train, got it?! I'll make you work like you never worked before!!"

Once the coach left the classroom, Kumiko banged her head on the desk and left out a soft moan. "I totally forgot… the meets… here goes a portion of my short, short summer…"

Tsukasa placed a hand on her classmate's shoulder. "Now, now, Kumi-Chan. Both you and Kenji-Kun are excellent swimmers, you'll do just fine."

In all response, Kumiko left out another moan.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shinjiro was once again sitting among the punks in the smoky area of the back alley evening. Once again, the weird pack of six people approached him, causing the other people around to run away. And once again, Jin gave him a strange flacon of pills.

"It appears one of the two groups have added a new ally… well, it's more of a pet than an ally…" the pale young man stated.

Shinjiro swayed his gaze. "…makes no difference to me."

"It also appears that what you told us is true. How lamentable… now we have no choice but to intervene."

The tough-looking teenager frowned. Kira was right after all, and now both SEES and Kagayaku would have been in danger!

The pale man continued. "Destroying the Dark Hour equals to denying this unique power we possess… that cannot be tolerated."

"Do whatever you want." He bitterly replied as he got up to walk away.

Kurz blocked his way with a smirk. "Hey, you bastard! I know you just wanna run back to your friends… or, are you going to your little lady friend?"

Shinjiro froze him with his piercing stare. "Buzz off, pansy. You're startin' to piss me off."

Jin juggled a grenade in his right hand. "They… all of'em … they're goin' down, ya hear me? And you'll be next if you're on their side!"

The tough guy kept on walking, passing beyond Kurz, who kept on waving frantically his arms as to call attention on him. "Like I said, it doesn't concern me."

The fat man looked at him walking away and smirked. "Hey, chief! You're taking out SEES, huh?" he then said to the pale man. "I have an idea to take care of the other group… but I need someone's support for this plan. Think I can have Stellar to join me?"

Behind him, Stellar didn't say a word, she just lowered her head as if something bothered her.

The foreigner patted her head with a smile. "Don't be so worried, cutie! I would never let a hottie like you do something dangerous!"

Jin grunted. "Well I hope yer plan will be better than Kurz's failures…"

With that, the weird group started to walk away; everyone but Kurz who looked quite irate. _Damn them! They think I'm no good, huh?! You'll see who'll be the last standing… you… and this whole world! You'll kneel down before Kurz Waber!!_

**07/29/09**

"Geeze, where did that dog go this time?!"

Kumiko looked around as she descended the staircase leading to her family's shrine. The moon already turned its white light into a pair green one and the red, blood-like liquid started dripping from the street lights and walls. Usually, Koromaru was always back before midnight… but not this time.

Grimacing, the girl looked up at the moon. "It's the Dark Hour already… oh well, I guess I'll have to wait till it ends before he comes back…" she mused aloud as she carefully placed new flowers over her grandfather's death place.

She moved to walk towards Kotobuki Hotel, wondering if everyone would have felt like exploring a little of Tartarus.

Then, she heard it. A bubbling sound to her right.

Immediately, she spun around, ready for action and saw two shadows appearing out of some blood-like puddles on the floor. She clenched her teeth as she put herself into a fighting stance. "Shadows… roaming outside Tartarus when the moon is not full?! How…?!"

One of the two shadows was on her, but she promptly dodged the assault, causing it to fall. "Dammit… if I only had my weapon…"

The second shadow focused for a moment; then, it threw a grim stare at the girl who got lost in its eyes. Horror struck her as she realized she couldn't move a muscle! The shadow's stare paralyzed her!

The knocked down shadow took advantage of the situation to stand up again. The paralyzing shadow immediately leaped on the momentarily incapacitated girl, ready to attack. Kumiko squeezed her eyes shut, expecting pain.

The shadow's bubbling sound was replaced by a guttural growl. Kumiko opened her eyes to see Koromaru right in front of her, the fur on his back standing up like spikes as he snarled savagely. "K…Koro?!" The girl's eyes widened. The dog could move within the Dark Hour?! The shadow attacking Kumiko was momentarily stunned by Koromaru's appearance and waved its arms menacingly. The dog leaped on it, a blur of white and grey against the dark blob, sinking his sharp teeth in the thing's flesh. The shadow struggled savagely to set itself free from the animal's painful grasp. In a desperate effort, it tore the dog off with its stretching hands and slammed him on the street floor, causing him to whine.

"KORO!!" Kumiko cried, still unable to move.

The two shadows bundled together and slowly backed off from the stunned dog, ready to leap on him. Seeing that the animal still couldn't move, the two leapt on him, biting and scratching him wildly. The girl watched in shock as the two monstrosities kept on mauling her dear pet.

They circled him, the dog badly hurt, laying in a small puddle of his own blood, the two shadows ready for the final assault. Kumiko cursed herself, her lack of power in that very moment, in the very moment her beloved dog was in grave danger she couldn't even lift a finger to fight. _Somebody… anybody! Help!! _She mentally screamed, tears stinging her eyes.

As in answer to her prayers, someone threw a healing item to her, her paralysis fading away. She sunk on her knees, still stunned, as she saw Akihiko rushing to her, the Evoker tightly in his hand.

"Fukuyama! You OK?!" He asked, bending over her. The young boxer remained awestruck in seeing such a helpless look in the usually stoic young woman.

Before she had the chance to talk, both teenagers' attention was caught by a strange blue-ish glare coming in the direction Koromaru was standing. Slowly slipping on his feet, the dog left out a weak howl as energy particles separated from his body and taking shape over his head. In a matter of seconds, a gigantic, fierce-looking dark dog with three heads appeared over Koromaru. Both Kumiko and Akihiko remained speechless in seeing such an unexpected turn of events.

"That dog... a Persona-user?! How can it be?!" Akihiko whispered in awe. His eyes went to Kumiko, who was pressing both hands on her cheeks. _Did she knew?! _He wondered.

As Koromaru left out another howl, the Persona dog howled after him, releasing a powerful wave of flames and literally dissolving the two shadows. As the two creatures disappeared, the Persona faded away. A few seconds later, Koromaru collapsed on the floor, exhausted and badly wounded. Finding enough strength to get up, Kumiko immediately rushed to her beloved dog and knelt over him. In seeing her, the dog weakly thumped his tail.

"Koro…" she whispered, stroking his soft fur, her eyes watering.

Akihiko walked to the two, concerned. "Fukuyama… what happened here?"

"Shadows… shadows appeared… I… I couldn't do anything! I… I…!!" She sobbed, rocking her head back and forth.

Kumiko's classmate winced. He never saw the girl that upset earlier! She must have really loved that dog…

"What… what am I to do…?!" She pleaded as tears started rolling shyly on her cheeks. "I… if something should happen to Koro as well…"

He shook his head and faced her, decisive. "Kumiko Fukuyama!" he shouted, causing her to wince. "Nothing good will do if you freak out like this! Now it's not the time to lose cool… not if you want to save this little fella!"

Kumiko didn't reply. She simply nodded, her eyes still lost.

Akihiko's gaze went to the wounded dog. "I, too, want to save him… but I can't do it by myself! That's why we must work together…" he then bent down over the dog. "He's bleeding too much… we need to stop that first. I'll try and use my Persona's healing skills on him, but I can't promise anything… can you use healing too?"

Kumiko quietly shook her head and lowered her gaze.

"I see… then, please… stay back…" He whispered, reading his Evoker and summoning his Persona.

She then noticed something shimmering in her back pocket: it was the weird card she received from that funny painter named Maxwell. As if someone suggested her to do it, she held the card in her left hand as the Kamen no Fuuin seemed like resonating with it. It was then that Kumiko's Persona appeared, its sixteen eyes emitting a quiet glare as a faint light enveloped Koromaru's body, combining with Polydeucus's healing skill.

Kumiko's eyes widened. _What the… did Orochi learn a healing skill just now?! _Then, she remembered Maxwell's words: the cards he could drew had the power to let unique Personas master new, useful skills. _I'll have to remember thanking that guy next time I see him… _Kumiko thought as the light faded away, alongside the two Personas and Maxwell's card. The two Persona-users looked at Koromaru, who seemed like being a little better.

Akihiko sighed. "Looks like we somehow stopped the bleeding… but he's not out of danger yet. I'll contact Mitsuru and ask for her help; I'm sure she might be able to fetch a doctor."

With that, he moved a hand over his transceiver and contacted the dorm. After a few minutes, the whole SEED gathered around Kumiko and Koromaru, who weakly thumped his tail to Fuuka and Yukari. Akihiko explained his teammates the whole situation.

"You mean this dog is a Persona-user?!" Junpei jolted.

Aigis seemed like listening to something. Then, to everyone: "He says: 'this is a place of peace, so I protected it'."

Getting up on her feet, Kumiko rubbed her own eyes and pointed at the flowers by the staircase base corner. "Yes… that's… where grandfather…"

"By the way, Aigis… you can translate dog language too?!" Junpei asked, still in awe.

The robot girl shook her head. "Canines do not have their own language. Speech is not the only mean of communication."

They all expected Kumiko to have a fangirl-ish reaction, which never came. It was to be expected, the girl was still quite shocked by what happened to her dog.

"In any case" Mitsuru said "We'd better report to the Chairman. I know it's midnight, but I'll try and arrange things for a vet."

As the SEES members walked away, Kumiko grabbed Akihiko's hand for a moment, still looking helpless. The silver-haired smiled softly to her. "It will be OK, Kumiko. Trust Mitsuru, she'll do whatever it takes to help that little guy."

She lowered her gaze, without saying a word and stood there as SEES left.

**07/31/09**

"Come on! Stay focused!! We'll never win the tournament if you slack off like that!!" The swim team manager, a tanned girl with jet-black hair named Yuko, kept on yelling at the teenagers swimming back and forth in the pool. As soldiers who just heard an order from their commander, most of the swimmers started moving double time.

Kumiko was working hard with the training herself. Once she completed her last lap, she rested both arms on the pool edge as she caught some breath. "What's wrong, Fukuyama-Senpai? Your timing got worse in the last few days!" Yuko said, approaching her.

Kumiko didn't meet her gaze. She just looked at the water beneath her. "…sorry. Just need to catch my breath a little."

With that, she got out of the pool and sat on a bench as she watched outside; she could see athletics club members training in the meantime.

"You OK, Senpai? You look pretty down."

The girl turned in the direction the male voice came from; she saw two juniors standing next to her: Kenji and another tall and slender boy with short black hair and slightly less tanned than Yuko.

She shook her head, looking neutral. "You're wrong, Kazushi. I'm perfectly OK. I guess I'm just a little tired."

Both Kenji and Kazushi shared an eye and then looked at her. The latter said, with a slight blush: "Well, OK if you say so… it's just that… well, you seemed even more inward lately. I was… well… kinda worried our Mermaid could have something wrong!"

Kumiko looked behind herself. "… you'd be in trouble if me, one of your representatives, weren't in top notch shape for the tourney, huh… but, even if I weren't, there's still Kenji-Kun."

"Hey, it has nothing to do with you being a representative!" Kazushi puffed as Kenji scratched his cheek, looking completely clueless.

Once his classmate walked away, Kenji placed a hand on the senior's shoulder and graced her with a slight smile. "Try and cheer up, OK?"

Kumiko was dumbfounded. She kind of expected Kenji to know why she was like that… but it seemed like he had no idea at all. Seeing that, she gestured him to come closer and finally asked about Koromaru's conditions. As a reply, he simply shrugged, saying the one should have asked Mitsuru-Senpai about that.

**08/02/09**

The day of the 18th annual high school swim tournament.

The races all started right after the opening ceremony, where young athletes made a pledge to compete fairly. Kumiko, Kenji, Yuko, Kazushi and a few others members of the Gekkoukan High School swim team were sitting in their own stand. Unconsciously, the first looked back, where the audience was sitting: she could see all of her female teammates there, rooting for her. Surprisingly, Shinn was with them, which stroke her as quite unexpected, since he didn't sound too enthusiast about the whole tournament matter.

"Senpai!" Yuko called her to the attention. "You're the next, so start getting ready."

"Hey, look! Senpai!" Kazushi pointed to the pool, where the juniors were currently competing. "Kenji and Mamoru Hayase are head-to-head!"

Her eyes went to an athletic-looking young boy who was swimming as fast as Kenji. "So that's the famed Mamoru, huh… the so-called undefeated monster… he looks plain to me. It's so true: you can't judge anyone by appearance…"

"Way to go, Kenji-Kun!!" Yuko cheered.

"You're the man! Go get'em!!" Kazushi rooted.

The whole race stayed as a tie between Kenji and Mamoru most of the time, until the last lap, where Mamoru suddenly boosted, claiming victory. Although Kenji didn't win, second place against Hayase the monster was quite a feat, and both Kazushi and Yuko weren't that displeased.

Then, Kumiko's turn came: at first, the girl stood back because she had a slight delay in her start, but she quickly recovered her pace and, lap by lap, she managed surpass all the other girls with no problem at all. Once she completed the final lap, a big roar could be heard from the people gathered around. Kumiko could once again see her friends cheering madly for her. Both Konata and Tsukasa, who were rooting in quite a cheery way, increased the fuss they were making as their friend won. Tsukasa was the happiest of all, not just for Kumiko's victory, but also Kenji's second place.

Yuko congratulated with both Kenji and Kumiko, while Kazushi seemed quite bitter about Kenji not winning against Mamoru. "I thought people only exaggerated when they said that Hayase annihilates his opponents… argh, next time, we'll be victorious!!"

They all interrupted as Mamoru Hayase himself walked to them: he was wearing a light blue sports suit and his skin was of a similar hue to Kazushi's. He overall looked like quite a simple yet athletic boy.

"You were both great." He said to Kumiko and Kenji with a smile.

"Too bad I couldn't win…" Kenji replied while smiling sheepishly.

"Hey, if you want to I can give you some advice for you to improve your technique! How'bout it?"

"Sure, why not?"

He then smiled at Kumiko. "So you're Gekkoukan's Mermaid. You truly are worthy of your name."

"…not really." She said, looking embarrassed.

"You have the potential to become a professional swimmer, I can tell." He then looked at the pool, red coloring his cheeks. "And… hope you don't mind if… I can sometimes share some tips with you… that is, if I don't bother you…"

She looked at him with a slight smile. "I'll consider that."

"Terrific!! See you around then!" Mamoru said as he left.

"Wow, he must have been quite impressed with both of you!" Yuko said. "And Kumiko-Senpai… looks like you got yourself an admirer!"

Yuko looked quite amused by the whole thing… but not Kazushi. He looked quite bitter at the whole matter for some reason. Before leaving, he said. "Next time you see him, tell him I'm gonna kick his ass! I'm outta here!"

Both Kenji and Yuko blinked, perplexed. "What's with Kaz?" The junior asked the two girls.

Yuko's mind snapped, a playful smile shaping on her face. "Oh, I see how it is…"

"How it… WAIT, you can't possibly mean…" Kumiko shook both hands in front of herself, blushing madly. Was she really at the center of a love triangle between the two swimmers? The only thought of it flustered her… she never got the chance to develop a love relationship with anyone and now she was about to be contended by two guys? The whole thing felt so strange to her, who usually was ditched by every guy due to her peculiar tastes. As cute-looking as one might be, most of Japanese guys aren't particularly fond to Otaku girls and she feared both Kazushi and Mamoru would have shunned her, once they came to know this. Nevertheless, she still bore special feelings about someone else, someone long lost, who respected her and cared for her, no matter the tastes… how was she supposed to deal all of it?

**08/06/09**

Shinjiro grimaced as he stared at the full moon. So big and spectral, it almost felt like as it was returning his gaze, mocking him. In a matter of less than an hour, its white glare would have swiftly switched to pale green, resuming the idiotic, creepy routine occurring each passing day.

He hated it all.

Ever since that fateful day.

A movement was then caught in the corner of his eye, so he faced that direction.

He sighed. "…again? How do I say 'don't come here'?!"

Kumiko didn't answer. She simply leaned her back on the closest wall, not swaying her gaze from the thin coated young man. _Why is he wearing a coat in summer? _Her mind wondered, making her feel kind of stupid for asking herself such a question, in that situation.

"Lemme guess… there's something bothering you and you needed to talk about it with ME, of all people…" he said with a sardonic tone. "Well, you're wasting your time here… I ain't the right person for that. If you want someone to give you a friendly shoulder, go back to your other friends, cuz I got no time."

This last statement caused Kumiko to chuckle. Shinjiro simply tilted his head in an interrogative way.

"'I got no time', he says… you stay sitting in this place the whole day, doing nothing. I'd say you even have too much spare time on your hands." She shrugged.

The shifty teenager wanted to talk back, but finding no words to reply the truth she just said, he simply grunted while staring at the graffiti on a wall.

"…whaddaya want anyway?"

"…Just doing what you suggested me… I'm trying to be more honest to myself." She said, avoiding his gaze.

Without saying a word, he simply stared at her. Her eyes. She wasn't changed at all in those two years, although she wanted people to believe she was hardened.

"Just answer my question… why did you ran away back then? You disappeared with no trace and with no explanation. Have you ever stopped to consider how those around you would have felt?" The girl's words sounded harsh, but her eyes betrayed her worry about her long-lost friend.

He snapped at her, causing her to wince. "You got no right to judge me!"

Kumiko lowered her gaze. She couldn't understand at all: of course, two years earlier he had his perks and at times he wanted people to think he was tough and a bit mischievous, but… what could have happen that changed him so deeply?

Shinjiro got up and turned his back at her. "Right, people knowing nothing should just keep their piehole shut."

"I don't want to judge you, Shinji-Kun. I'm just trying to help!" she said, raising her voice gradually.

"There's nothing you can do to help, so forget it before you get hurt."

This left her dumfounded. What did he mean with getting hurt? Why did he keep pushing her and every attempt of help away?

A male voice speaking Japanese with a German accent boomed in the back alley. "Awww, isn't that nice? A love quarrel, huh?"

Immediately, both Kumiko and Shinjiro faced the iron railing, a few distance from them. A foreigner fat young man was sitting there: he was wearing a brown jacket over a square-patterned shirt and mustard-colored pants. The newcomer graced him with a friendly smile.

"Well well… so you're Kumiko, huh? I always wanted to know how you looked… your friend Emiko always talked me about you."

Kumiko grimaced. "UGH! Of all people…"

Shinjiro looked at her. "Hm? You know the lard-ass?" he whispered.

"Yeah…" she whispered back. "His name is Dennis… he used to be a friend of mine's boyfriend… until he broke her heart, dumping her. Didn't think I would have run into him here of all places. Not that I mind, I still owe him one for making Emiko-Chan cry."

"…this IS a small world alright…" Shinjiro grimaced.

Dennis pouted. "Aw, I see you haven't forgiven me yet, huh? But you know what they say: there's no way to control other people's feelings. It simply didn't work out between Emiko and me. Can you really blame me for that?"

Kumiko pierced him with an ice-cold stare. "THAT, I might forgive… but not you changing your attitude radically and treating my friend like dirt all of the sudden."

Shinjiro blinked. "He really did it? What an ass…"

The German young man's expression changed into an annoyed one as he faced Shinjiro. "You, of all people, should shut the hell up." then, to Kumiko: "You say I'm bad, but what I did is nothing compared to what that guy over there did."

Kumiko's eyes went to Shinjiro, who avoided both hers and Dennis' stare, while clenching his teeth. "What slanders are you babbling about?!"

Dennis smirked. "Oh? I assume he didn't tell you… well, allow me to enlighten you. He's not just a lowlife roaming around this poop-hole… he also worked as a major informant for a group of murderers."

Kumiko didn't want to believe a word Dennis would have said, she knew she couldn't trust him enough. But she could feel the doubt digging its way into her mind. Dumbfounded for a moment, she then shook her head. "Shinji-Kun is not like that! Stop with baloney!"

"You're right… he's even worse!" Dennis laughed. "As a matter of fact, two years ago…"

"Stop it, Dennis!!" Shinjiro interrupted him, looking really upset.

Kumiko was pretty confused about the whole matter. Was Dennis referring to what caused Shinjiro to disappear two years earlier… or just spouting nonsense as always? What did he know? What did Shinjiro know? What was the truth about what happened that day?

"Don't talk as if you weren't part of the mess, lard-ass!" Shinjiro spat. "After all, you ARE part of that pack of internet murderers…"

That shocked the girl even more than Dennis' accusations. "You're… one of the internet avengers…?!"

Dennis' smile broadened. "Oppsie-daisy! The secret's up… but don't say that term, 'internet avengers'… that's just a side job to get extra money! We prefer to be known as Strega. That's our group's name after all."

The girl clenched her teeth. Things weren't going well at all.

The fat German man took out a gun and examined it. "I'm afraid I can't let you go, now that you know, Kumiko. Too bad, I always deemed you as a nice girl."

Kumiko put herself in a battle stance as Shinjiro moved in front of her, as to guard her.

"But I can't forget we used to be friends. I want to give you one chance to fight back. If you feel you're up to the task, follow me."

He then jumped off the railing and dashed upstairs, to the main square. Kumiko moved to follow him, but Shinjiro grabbed her arm tightly.

"It's a trap, can't you tell?!"

"Think I don't know?"

"Then why are you going anyway?"

She gently pushed his hand off her arm. "I have a few scores to settle with that guy… besides, it's dangerous to let him roam free. Getting rid of him and his group is part of my mission."

Shinjiro wanted to ask her about her so-called mission, but before he had the chance to, she already left, running after Dennis. The shifty-looking teenager didn't know why, but it was as if his body reacted before his mind could registered it and he, too, ran after Kumiko.

_**Dennis: **_A German guy who used to be Emiko Midorikawa's boyfriend before he dumped her in a very rude and heartless way. He's also part of the internet avengers group known as Strega. At first he might hit you as a nice guy, but he's actually quiet sneaky and has a strong perverted streak, as his potential demonstrates itself.

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"Kuro-Sensei!! It's terrible!! Kumi-Chan is…!!" Tsukasa cried as she entered Rei's room, where the rest of Kagayaku members were gathered.

"…gone. I know." Rei quietly nodded. He already noticed how Kumiko's chakrams were missing from the storeroom. After Koromaru's incident, she probably decided to bring her weapons along in the event the Dark Hour surprised her outside.

"How can she be so careless?!" Kagami said angrily. "Tonight it's a full moon and she's our leader!"

The computer teacher shrugged. "Relax. She can take care of herself… and… I have a hunch she's going to have someone with her… she went to THAT place."

Both the twins shared a confused gaze. The man seemed like always knowing everything, but his explanations weren't as clear at times. What was he talking about exactly? What place was that?

Before they had the chance to ask, the whole hotel started shaking violently. Immediately, Miyuki focused to summon Personomicon, so to see what was happening.

"What's going on, Miyuki?! Is it a shadow?!" Shinn asked, clinging to the wall.

"N…no…" the pink-haired young woman stuttered. "This reading… it's… a human… a Persona-user!"

They all jumped as they heard it. A Persona-user, attacking Kotobuki Hotel?! They wondered about that one being part of the internet avengers Kagayaku investigated on.

"Who cares who's attacking?" Konata smirked. "Sorry for stealing one of those cool videogame guys quotes, but… if an enemy appears, we'll just have to destroy'em." The last sentence she said with a very low and cool-sounding tone. With that, she grabbed her sword and Evoker, rushing downstairs.

Konata's perkiness caused several reactions from the Kagayaku members: some of them (Like Tsukasa and Shinn) to be amused, while others (Kagami, for one) shook their head in disbelief.

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Dennis was simply standing in front of a building in progress, the whole place deserted due to the late hour… and even if it wasn't, silence would have covered it all due to people being Transmogrified. The ground around him felt hollow, it would have probably came down with a big explosion… which was perfect to set up his snare.

"You're here." He smirked, without turning back. He was sure Kumiko and Shinjiro caught up with him. Which they did.

"I have only one question for you, Dennis." Kumiko said in an icy tone. "What are you and this Strega are trying to accomplish? Why do you kill innocent people?!"

The foreigner shrugged with a smile. "Like I said it's nothing more than a side job… or rather, some sort of hobby. But like I said, there's more about us… we're not simply killers despite of what you think."

The girl was sickened. A hobby?! That was simply insane!

Dennis' smile broadened as he searched something under his jacket. "It's all for our vision…"

Before she could ask about the vision, Dennis finally reached what he was looking for: an Evoker, similar to those used by the SEES members. _I knew it… they ARE Persona-users as I suspected! _ Kumiko thought.

The fat German young man spoke once more: "Our leader, Takaya, has a vision… which I strongly support: Persona-users are different from common people. You might call them 'the chosen ones'. They're an ELITE, possessing a power just a few have! And the Dark Hour is a world only to be explored by this elite few."

"That's bullshit!" Shinjiro spat. "That kind of power is nothing but a pain! Besides, how can YOU think crap like that?! You should know that because of that power…"

Dennis smiled at him. It could seem like a friendly smile, but he could feel some twisted evil behind those stretched lips. "I am completely different from them… and from you, my rowdy friend… I half hoped you, of all people would have understood…"

This caused Shinjiro to falter and become silent. Kumiko grimaced; here they started talking about things she couldn't figure out again! Before she got to talk, Dennis spoke to her.

"What about you, Kumiko? What do you think of our great vision? I'm sure you ARE aware of the greatness of your… of OUR power?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" she hissed. "I'd be off better without such a power."

The foreigner blinked, perplexed. "What? You mean you'd rather live a completely worthless, ordinary life?!"

"Didn't I make myself clear?" She replied, crossing her arms.

The German fat guy's smile turned into a frown as he clenched his Evoker tightly. "Looks like Takaya and Jin were right after all… there's no way to talk with anyone from those groups… nevertheless, we can't allow anyone to get rid of the Dark Hour… that's why you all must be disposed of… and that's why you're going to die here."

He then looked at the full moon with a smirk. "By now, those two must be taking care of that SEES group…"

After seeing Shinjiro frowning, Kumiko stepped onward. "My comrades won't sit idly!"

The Strega member chuckled. "…too bad they're going to be busy for a while… I arranged a little surprise for all of them… I wonder how they'll fare against her…"

The shifty teenager clenched both fists before rushing towards him. "…her? Son of a bitch, don't tell me you…?!"

Seeing that, Dennis put the Evoker on his temple and pulled the trigger, causing a red energy aura to appear around him. "Come to me, MARA!!" Surrounded by glass-like fragments, his Persona appeared; both Kumiko and Shinjiro felt utter disgust when they saw the green …THING… on the golden chariot appearing above the guy.

The girl covered her mouth, her face as white as a sheet. "THAT'S your Persona?! I knew you were nothing but a freaking pervert…!!"

"…I'd say he's more like a FUCK-tard, heh." Shinjiro remarked with a slight, awkward grin.

Dennis simply smirked. "You'll take these words to your graves." With that, he ordered Mara to use its special, unique fire skill named Maralagidyne to cause a violent burst in the area. Purposely missing the two teenagers, the explosion caused a powerful shockwave which made the hollow ground under their feet break.

The two of them fell underground without even knowing what was going on.

The German guy looked the pit he just created in a mix of pride and arrogance, his twisted-looking Persona still towering above him.

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The gigantic black, red and golden mechanic wolf-shaped Persona delivered another assault to the hotel building, causing part of the wall on the corner to come down. Thankfully, the Kagayaku kids and Rei were already outside when it happened. Immediately, Miyuki pinpointed the location the Persona was summoned from – a few meters away from the hotel – and guided them all there. Alone on the streets there was a single blond girl with a white and blue dress and deep violet eyes, clutching a gun-shaped Evoker tightly and smiling as she saw her Persona returning above her. Hearing footsteps on her right, she faced that direction while getting all tense, the grip on the pseudo-gun tightening.

Shinn's heart almost stopped when he saw the girl. "…Stellar…?!" he whispered.

"So she's the one attacking us!" Kagami spat as she readied her machinegun. "I don't understand what's happening, but it's clear she means business…"

Konata nodded as she stood in a battle stance. "Right. Let's go get her!"

The two girls started running toward the blond one but Shinn stepped in front of them, stretching both arms and legs.

"What are you doing?! Step aside!!" Athrun ordered.

"Please, wait!" Shinn cried. "I think I already met that girl… I'll try and talk her out of it!" he said before walking to Stellar, who stepped backwards, clearly frightened. "Stellar… is it really you?"

She stared at him, dread in her eyes. "You… who… who are you?!"

"Don't you remember? It's me… Shinn!" He stretched a hand to her.

As a reply, she took out her knifes and slashed in front of her, blindly. It was just thanks to the boy's good reflexes that she didn't chop his hand off. "S…Stellar!! What are you doing?!"

"Who are you?! Don't…don't know you!!" She shrieked, pointing one of her knives at him.

Those words struck him as a brick. Sure, they only met once, but how could she forget about him while he could never forget the warm feeling that only moment gave to him. He couldn't believe it! "Stellar… what are you…" he stepped to her once again.

Stellar's eyes widened even more. "NOOOOO!! STAY BACK!!! STAY BAAAAAAACK!!!" she screamed as she drew her Evoker. Without even thinking, she squeezed her eyes shut and pointed the gun at her forehead, pulling the trigger. In a burst of red energy, her black mechanic wolf-shaped Persona appeared again; he then charged at Shinn with a very violent impact that caused him to be knocked towards the closest wall. Immediately, Kagami told Tsukasa to look after him, which she did after panicking for a few seconds. The short-haired twin sighed in relief when she saw him moving. Immediately, she took her Evoker so to summon her Balshemikos, hoping his healing skills would have worked well.

The other Kagayaku members looked at their opponent whose hair were concealed by the blond forelocks: her body finally stopped shaking as she caught some breath, her Persona disappearing from above. Then, she lifted her face: the fear in her eyes turned into some sort of determination as she gripped her knives again.

"…now it's clear… you're… enemies… like the others said…" she breathed as she stepped forward.

The other fighters shared a glance. Could "the others" be the rest of the group? Possibly the internet avengers? Nevertheless, this girl meant business, so they needed to be ready to fight. Immediately, Konata asked Miyuki to analyze her weaknesses, but for some reason, it took more time for Personomicon to get an answer. Meanwhile, they all tried to cripple her with physical attacks but she promptly dodged them all, literally spinning around like a dancer. After dodging all of the assault, Stellar started to attack every fighter individually with her knives, fortunately causing just slight damage. She then took advantage of the situation to charge with a loud yell at Miyuki, who was standing back and concentrating. Noticing that, Rei dashed in front of her and vigorously grabbed her attacking arm's wrist, causing her to loosen the grasp on the knife, dropping it. Then, the professor leapt backwards while holding the young woman with glasses, which thanked him with a blush. Frustrated about the whole situation, Stellar shouted again and moved to attack again. This time, her blade was stopped by a hand clutching it tightly, blood dripping on the floor. The girl halted, her eyes widening in shock as she saw the slim male teenager in front of her.

"Stop it, Stellar…" he whispered, his scarlet eyes showing pain. "You don't have to do this… you don't have to!"

She could feel her eyes watering as the start of a throbbing pain to the head showed her bits of images of some sort of locked down memory.

Shinn smiled at her… a smile that seemed so familiar to her in that very moment. "It's OK… you don't need to worry… I'll always be with you… and protect you… I promised."

Finally, it all started to come back to her… she finally started to remember him… his smile… as the headache covered everything. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she collapsed in his arms, unconscious. Seeing that, the rest of the Kagayaku kids walked closer.

"Shinn-Kun!! You shouldn't get up! I still am not done with your wounds!" Tsukasa cried, clearly worried about him.

"You don't need to worry about me, I'm much better." He smiled slightly.

"But, but… but your hand! Look how much it's bleeding!" she stammered. "Wait, I'll ask Balshemikos to heal it!"

Shinn put a free hand on her shoulder. "No need, really. It's less bad than it looks. Besides…" he then walked to Rei. "Sensei… about this girl…"

Rei examined Stellar's face: although unconscious, she emanated a strong sense of sadness, tears still watering her cheeks. He frowned for a moment and then nodded. "I know. For now let's take her to the hospital… then, we'll talk about what we'll do with her. We can never be too cautious…"

Shinn shook her head and then looked at her. "I'm sure she's nothing more than a pawn… a victim of this situation… I know… I feel it!"

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_Kumi…? Kumi… KUMI!!_

"…huh?"

…_Phew… you're still alive…_

"This voice… so familiar… who…"

_Dammit, girl… snap outta it!_

"…Shinji-Kun…?"

Kumiko opened her eyes wide as her eyesight focused on his annoyed face. She put herself in a sitting position, her whole body screaming in pain. Before she got to talk, he said: "See? I told ya it surely was a trap made by that Mr. Lard-ass!… that's why I can't stand girls like you, they never listen…"

She didn't answer, she simply swayed her gaze with an awkward frown.

"Anyway, you hurt anywhere? Can you stand up?"

"I'm a bit sore, but… I think I can manage it somehow…"

With that, she got up, but once she finally stood up on her feet, an excruciating pain on her left feet forced her to kneel down.

Shinjiro left out an exasperated sigh. "Now what…?"

"My ankle…" she mumbled, grimacing in pain. "… I can move it, so it's not broken… but it still hurts…"

"Tch… I knew it…" he said, placing a hand over his forehead. He then looked at her for a while and sighed once again and knelt down, his back facing the girl.

Kumiko blushed. "What…? You want to carry me? But… but… but I DO CAN walk, it only hurts a little. And besides… I think I might be too heavy for you…" she stuttered.

"Right. If I'd let you walk on your own, we won't be out of this hellhole before Christmas… and we don't have enough time. There's not much air to breathe here… Besides I'm not as frail as you think, I'll have no problem carrying someone like you."

…_Are you calling me a fatty? _She thought with a frown. She then shook her head. _What am I thinking in such a delicate situation?_

After letting her climb his back, he checked to be sure she was clinging herself and started to walk on a steady pace, looking straight ahead. On her hand, Kumiko felt a strong sense of awkwardness and didn't know where to focus her stare exactly; one would expect a punk living on the street to have quite a disturbing stench, but he still felt the same of two years earlier, he only emanated a new, slight smell of smoke. Despite his rough appearance, she could feel he was still her long-lost friend and somehow felt safe just being with him. But if she felt safe, why was she so agitated?

She felt compelled to break the underground silence, so to calm herself down. "Umm… Shinji-Kun…"

"…what?"

"…I'm sorry…"

"Hm… about what…?"

"When we met again a few months ago… I didn't recognize you and so…"

He left out a hoarse cackle. "What? You still thinkin'bout that? I didn't even remember that."

"Well, I just felt I had to tell you…"

"I see…"

He then paused, as if he was thinking of something. Then, without looking back. "Say…"

"Hm…?"

"Was planning to ask you… what was that crap about 'my mission' you said back then?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well… you talk of a mission, but your attitude says you're not eager one bit… so I was just wondering, I guess… you fight cuz you must fight, not cuz you want to fight… dontcha?"

"…so?"

"Kumi… do you even HAVE a reason to fight? Cuz if you don't, you'd only hurt yourself."

She smiled grimly. "You refuse to talk about yourself and now you ask something so personal…! You sure are selfish…"

He returned the very same grim smile. _I know I might sound selfish to you, Kumi, but… if I did tell you what happened… what would you think? You'd just hate me. It's a logical result…_ "…as harsh and straightforward as always, Kumi… just like a certain childhood friend of mine."

She decided to talk anyway. "My reason to fight… I'm not exactly sure I even have one to start with. Maybe it's just like you said."

Shinjiro seemed confused. "…why don't you just quit the fight then? You can't fight without a reason."

Kumiko's eyes looked grim and distant. "…I can't do it. I can't simply turn my back after getting involved in all of this personally."

"You're losing me… but seriously… 'personally'?"

She nodded and closed her eyes. "… do you know how I got the potential in the first place?"

He silently shook his head, still looking the road ahead.

Kumiko sighed and started to tell her story with a somehow grim yet cold tone."…it all happened around three years ago. My parents and I decided to come and check on grandfather and grandmother here in Iwatodai. You see, after the big explosion in the year 1999 occurring in Port Island, my parents – especially father – got very concerned about living here, so we had to move in another city. You can't even imagine how hard was to mom trying to persuade father about dropping by for a few days. Father… he just couldn't stand mom's parents… just like he couldn't stand most of the world. No, maybe the incident was just an excuse to get farther from them and the rest of the town."

"So your old man is someone way nihilist, huh? Doesn't seem nice to deal… But who am I to tell?" Shinjiro shook his head. He had lost his parents when he was still a kid so he didn't know exactly how to deal family, but he could figure out Kumiko didn't have it exactly easy.

"Yeah…" she grimaced. Then, she resumed her tale. "Anyway, we spent the night at grandpa's place… and as always, my old man vented up all of his bitterness and frustration by insulting grandfather's lifestyle and arguing with mom until late night. Man, his ranting would have kept a bear from hibernating! It was then that…" her grip on Shinjiro's coat tightened "they both got dragged into the Dark Hour."

She paused for a moment to catch some breath, rubbing her cheek on his back with a deep sigh. "I don't remember much about back then, as you can easily imagine… but… I can clearly remember father being enveloped by some black muddy stuff and collapsing on the floor… he feel victim of the shadows… and maybe mom would have met the same fate if I… if my potential didn't awaken…. I can still remember Orochi towering above me and literally tearing those things to pieces… and my mother's shocked eyes…"

Shinjiro bit his own lower lip. "Your father is one of the Lost, then… I shouldn't have asked then, must be painful to remember… sorry."

She neutrally shook his head. "Not really. I still think he brought this upon himself… being fed up with the world and not showing any bit of enthusiasm about anything… just bitter all the way."

"…so… the reason you can't turn your back to the whole matter is… you want to avenge your father?"

"No." her voice was as piercing as cold daggers.

"Then… why…?"

"I hate this whole madness so much I could die… Shadows… the Dark Hour…and those strange dreams I started to have since that day… everything. I want them to vanish. Plain and simple… if it all vanished, then it will all back to normal… and me too. I'm not a champion of justice nor an avenger. I'm not fighting for an ideal. I fight because it's the only way to put an end to all of this."

Shinjiro smiled softly and stopped walking for a moment. He then glanced at her. "It will be OK, as long as you do what you think it's right, I guess." _Kumi… you're so strong. I wish I had at least half of your determination._

With Shinjiro stopping, Kumiko took advantage of the matter to check on her injured foot. The pain was steady, but much, much weaker. She asked him to drop her and she started to do a few steps around. She could walk with no problem, fortunately. "Now it's better… sorry for having to carry me up till… now…?"

Her eyes filled with worry as she turned around to face her friend: right after dropping her, he leaned to the tunnel's wall, looking like in a great pain. The air seemed a little thinner, yet breathing wasn't that hard yet, so what caused him to be out of breath?

"Hey… what's wrong? Are you feeling OK?" She asked, approaching him and placing a hand on his shoulder, which he shrugged off. She winced when he looked at his face, so pale and sweaty as he tried hard to smile.

"Aw, stop it, will ya? It's nothing really… why must you always make a big deal over bullshit?" He said in-between heavy breaths.

"How can you say you're OK?" She cried. "Your physical conditions look terrible! We must get out of here as soon as possible…"

"I said stop it!" he raised his voice as he stopped leaning on the wall. "I'm… I'm just a little out of breath after carrying you. Bur you're right, we need to get outta here pronto… although…" his eyes flashed in front of him, where he caught a movement. "…I'm not sure those buggers will let us through that easily…"

Kumiko turned around and saw a pack made of three big-sized shadows: two lion-shaped with a chain ball attached and a tank-shaped one. Immediately she drew her chakrams, posing herself between the creatures and Shinjiro. "Well, I can always try and persuade them."

With that, she flung one of her chakrams to the farthest of the lion shadows while dashing toward the other one, clenching her other bladed ring tightly. As the flying ring slashed its target, the girl did the same with the other one; as the shadow she was attacked was stunned by the assault, she used its body to boost a backward jump and grabbed the flying chakram which was flying back to her like a boomerang. Once on the ground, she noticed that the shadows didn't seem much in a pain. _Looks like I'll have to rely on my Persona's skills… if I only knew which skill would be most effective on them… fighting without Miyuki's support sure is harder! _She thought as she focused her mind into the glove on her left hand, the seal starting to glow.

Then, a movement was caught in the corner of Kumiko's eye; she forgot about the third, armor-shaped shadow, which was rushing towards her, trying to knock her down with a full assault! Being in the middle of her summoning, dodging it in time wouldn't have been easy.

Right when the shadow was a few distance away from her, she saw a red-clad frame rushing in front of her and stopping the tank with both hands, his feet stomping in the underground floor.

"Shinji-Kun… what are you?!" She cried.

"What….does it look like? " he muttered as he mustered all of his strength to stop the tank, yet being slowly pushed backwards.

Kumiko was speechless. Was Shinjiro insane, trying to stop a tank all by himself? One of the two lion shadows moved to attack her with a scratch. She moved to dodge it, but her distraction and the fact she was summoning caused it to scratch her right arm. "Ugh… why you…!!" she cried as the shadow walked back and circled her.

Shinjiro glanced her. "Dammit, Kumi! Stop sleeping while standing! Use your power on those things!"

Kumiko clenched her aching arm, trying to stop the bleeding with the palm of her hand. "B…but you…"

"Just… do it, girl! I'll… I'll keep this big guy at bay!" he cried while clenching his teeth. Kumiko's heart sunk as she noticed a streak of blood in the corner of his mouth. Even though he was in critical conditions, he was willing to risk his life to help her.

That was the reason she couldn't falter. She wasn't going to give up. Throwing a piercing stare at the two shadows, she stretched her bloodstained left hand in front of herself, the seal on her glove shimmering as the energy seemed to sprout out of her body. "Please… come forth!" she prayed as the energy transformed into the eight-headed snake. Orochi's heads all opened their mouths while releasing icy energy and literally froze the two lion-shadows. Right after that, both Kumiko and her Persona leapt in-between the frozen shadows as two of the serpent's heads, one to the left and one to the right, grabbed the shadows with their sharp teeth, hurled them upwards and all of the heads started ravaging them. Once Orochi and the shadows disappeared, Kumiko jumped high and hurled both of her chakrams to the tank in a cross-shaped flying attack. "Shinji-Kun! MOVE!!"

After hearing her voice, Shinjiro released the tank and swiftly sidestepped as the tank seemed like stumbling for a moment, once again able to move forward freely. Its momentary stunned status caused it to be unable the chakrams, which marked its metal frame with an X before returning to their mistress.

"Alright…" Shinjiro said while wiping off his chin with the back of his free hand, his other hand holding a massive-looking axe. "You up for some major ass kicking, Kumi?"

Kumiko was dumbfounded for a moment. Despite everything, he was really going to give it all… she wasn't going to do any less! Nodding, she clenched both chakrams as the two teenagers dashed to the stunned tank shadow and started pummelling it, literally obliterating it.

The battle was won and even the underground atmosphere felt a little easier to breathe. Shinjiro leaned his back on the closest wall and smiled at Kumiko. "Not bad, Kumi. Not bad at all. But… your arm…?"

Kumiko, who was using her newly-learnt healing skills on herself, left out a sigh as soon as the treatment was done. The pain to her arm became a slight, steady nag. "It's nothing major to worry about… I had tougher days… but… what about you?"

"…I'm fine." He answered, his eyes swaying as he coughed. "I guess I'm just a little tired due to the underground air here…I'm tired of this hellhole, let's just get outta here."

"…hope the exit isn't too far from here…" she thought aloud.

Then, a beeping sound. Kumiko's transceiver started ringing. Immediately, she reached for her ear. "Rei-Sensei?"

The professor's voice spoke in her transceiver. For once, she was glad to hear it.

"I can finally reach you… that means you're not too far from the surface, just as I thought. Don't move from there, I'm coming to get you!"

The girl blinked. "Come again…?"

"Oh, and please… tell your boyfriend to move from that wall." He said, sarcastically, causing her to blush.

It was a matter of a few seconds. The ground started shaking as the wall Shinjiro was leaning to started to crack, causing him to jolt backwards. Right after he did, a hole formed right where the cracks appeared and the two teenagers could see Rei carrying a drill. The professor graced both of them with a playful smile.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything intimate… I mean, you weren't…you know… cuddling each other, right?"

Both Shinjiro and Kumiko looked at each other for a few seconds then looked away with a slight blush, the first clearing his voice without saying a word, while the latter angrily muttered: "…Rei-Sensei. We weren't playing around, you know!"

Rei simply chuckled. "Well you're lucky I happened to pass by. You see, I was accompanying this girl to the hospital by Shinn-Kun's request."

With that, he gestured to Stellar, who was resting right at the entrance of the tunnel he freshly dug. Shinjiro frowned as soon as he saw the girl. "I see… Dennis wasn't just bluffing then." _That fucking ass… I'll get him for this!_

"Do you know this girl?" Kumiko asked as she looked where they were: it was at a short distance to the port station.

The shifty teenager nodded. "She's from Strega too… but…"

Rei fixed his glasses with his finger and bent down to pick up Stellar. "Strega, hmm… it appears we have much to talk about… but you both must be tired…" he then smiled at Kumiko. "I'll let your boyfriend to escort you home while I take this girl to the Tatsumi Memorial Hospital."

Kumiko blushed and started walking away on her own. "Th…thanks but no thanks. I can go home by myself."

Rei grabbed her shoulder and looked in her eyes. "I mean really… you look pretty bushed and…"

The blue-dressed girl was in awe for a moment. She didn't expect Rei to be so genuinely concerned about her well-being.

He then graced her with a naughty smile. "…and the load you have on the front looks pretty heavy."

His remark caused Shinjiro to sigh in disbelief while Kumiko elbowed him in the face and left with a very fast pace.

Once she disappeared to the horizon, Shinjiro walked to the man, who rubbed the cheek the girl elbowed. "…Did you really have to go and tell her?"

"Nah, not really. But she's pretty fun to deal because of that."

The punk-looking one chuckled. "You call that 'fun'… I call that 'a major pain in the ass'. Pissed women are the worst."

"…hm, I wonder…" he chuckled as he started to leave himself. "Oh, and don't worry about this girl… I'll make sure she won't be treated roughly, even though she's an enemy who attacked us…"

Shinjiro turned his back to the teacher. "…why are you telling me this?"

Rei shrugged. "Oh, no particular reason… you just seem to know this girl, so I thought you would have liked to know."

With that, Rei left cradling Stellar in his arms as Shinjiro watched both of them walking toward the hospital. Unconsciously, he placed a hand over his beanie and sighed. _Nice insight, four-eyes… that girl… she's just like me… that's why I…_

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!!**

**Konata: **Next, on PERUSURI…

**Tsukasa: **Summer vacations continue as both groups enjoy their break!

**Yukari: **… too bad we all still need to take care of shadows and such…

**Kagami: **And now that Strega is butting in, things are getting more and more complicated…

**Kenji: **Let's positive thinking! We'll be fine.

**Junpei: **Where did I hear that before…?

**Shinn: **Anyway, with summertime and all, we all have more time for our own social and sentimental life. Oh, I mean, all of us! No one specific! _(Blushes)_

**Kumiko: **And Kagayaku finally gets a new member.

**Kagami: **What a relief, since SEES gets all of the Persona-users…

**Athrun: **A new member? I hope it's a girl…

**Rei: **You could be quite surprised, Athrun. _(Evil cackle)_

**Fuuka: **Um…why are you blushing, Miyuki-Senpai?

**Junpei: **Hey, now that you mention girls… I saw this very peculiar girl at the station…

**Konata: **Who could she be? And why do I feel such a foreboding aura about her?

**Yukari: **Maybe you're jealous?… man, the universe's going to collapse if a girl feels that way about Stupei…

**Konata: **Takebaka… shut up.

**Aigis: **Shin Megami Tensei: PeruSuri, chapter 6.

**Akihiko: **"Girl in white".

**Mitsuru: **Be sure to read and review… flame, and face execution.

**Konata: **Don't miss it now, will you! C'ya!!

**BLUE VELVET: The Peru*Suri trivia channel: Ep.5**

**Elizabeth: **Welcome back to Blue Velvet. As a custom around here, I will introduce myself to new readers: my name is Elizabeth and this here is my assistant Maxwell.

**Maxwell: **Hiya!

**Elizabeth: **This chapter was chapter 5… that means we're already halfway with PeruSuri… and Maxwell, this chapter was certainly very long, was it?

**Maxwell: **Too long if you ask me… and because of this, this episode of Blue Velvet will have to be shorter…

**Elizabeth: **But time doesn't run out here in the Velvet Room…

**Maxwell: **But the readers' patience does!

**Elizabeth: **Good point.

**Maxwell: **To think I was planning to interview Kenji Shugo…that will have to wait for the next chapter, I'm afraid. Rather, we'll show you a couple of outtakes for chapter 5!

**Elizabeth: **Video! _(Presses a button in her book and a big screen appears)_

**Chapter 5 outtakes 1 – Athrun's at it again!**

The SEES boys are trying to flirt with Rei's maids as Athrun approaches, fixing his sunglasses over head. "Hey there…" he says, smoothly "Looks like you girls might use some company…"

"Get lost, Zala…" Akihiko mutters.

"Calm down you… a hopeless case like yours needs someone to show you how it's done!" Athrun replies, approaching Chikaru. He then places both hands on her shoulders and looks in her eyes. "Now, why don't we make this whole beach special, my dearest?"

Chikaru seems awkward and points at something behind Athrun. The Kagayaku-er turns around to see a distant Rei surrounded by a red aura. "FALCON… DEEESK!!!" he yells.

Athrun blinks. "Huh? Hey, there is no such a thing as-"

He hasn't the time to end his sentence, for a school desk hits him right into the face, causing him to lose a few teeth as he falls on the sandy floor under everyone's dumbfounded eyes.

**Chapter 5 outtakes 2 – Konata's summer reading**

The Kagayaku girls are all gathered under their umbrella as Kenji, Akihiko and Junpei approach. The latter notices the mange Konata is reading.

"Ah, Kona-Chan! You're reading it! Do you like it?"

"Sure do!" Konata chirps. "Gotta love this RK doujinshi… such a clean lineart… and the style is similar to the original games' chara design. Plus, unlike most of H doujinshi, it has decent plot which isn't just a pretext for free sex scenes!"

Akihiko looks at both, his face paling. He then points at Konata. "Y…you read H doujinshi?!"

The tiny girl looks back at him, neutral: "Actually, this one is Junpei-Kun's… just like I gave one of mines to him."

The silver-haired boxer grabs his kohai's shoulders. "OK… WHAT…have you done to her?!"

"Um? Nothing!" Junpei chuckles. "Actually, the idea to share H doujinshi was hers. And I gotta say it's a great way to enjoy material with a few resources." Then, to Konata. "Yo, Kona-Chan! Let's go get soaked!"

Konata agrees and both jump into the water while Akihiko just look at them, his mouth wide open in awe. "Girls… are so scary…!"

**Elizabeth: **The way humans are attracted to sexuality… I find it so fascinating… don't you agree, Maxwell?

**Maxwell: **Hey, Eliz… what if I…

**Elizabeth: **Aw, time is such a tyrant… never as much as today. For now, I bid you later days, till the next episode! Later days!

**Maxwell: **Eliz!! You didn't answer my question… Eliz?... ELIIIZ?? _(Groans) _This is getting exasperating…


	7. Chapter 6: Girl in white

_**CHAPTER 6: Girl in white**_

**08/07/09**

Dennis was sitting on one of the internet point's computer checking a few busty girls fanarts on a few websites while chatting with someone. After a few seconds, he chuckled, as if he found something amusing on the monitor, then he shook his head and looked behind him as he heard some footsteps approaching: he could see the purple-dressed blond crossdresser, Kurz, approaching, a superior grin on his face.

"I've heard it from Jin… thanks to your oh so brilliant idea, we've lost a member to that Kaga-whatever group."

The foreigner leaned his back on the chair and sighed. "…Guess it couldn't be helped, given her… instability… what, you miss her?"

"Me? Nah, can't bother with curvy sluts like her… especially when she's loca!" Kurz grinned as he crossed his arms. "By the by, I'm pretty envious… I mean, compared to what I did, your failure is even worse, still no one seems to really be mad at you…"

"You surprised? After all, I did cripple that group…" Dennis replied with a smirk.

"Really? I think you went easy on'em cuz of the girls…" a voice said from behind them. As they turned around, they saw a familiar youth in a green shirt with blue stripes and orange sunglasses.

"Ah, Jin… did you get the info I asked you?" The German fat guy asked as he got up from his seat.

Jin grimaced. "…you even need to ask? Of course, can't 100% say this really IS the one we're after to terminate that group's activities, but… here, read on."

With that, the youth gave some papers with a picture of someone's face. Curious, Kurz approached Dennis and took a look at the file. His eyebrows arched. "Oh, this girl…?"

"My, my… ain't she a beauty?" the fat one giggled. "now I'm even more motivate to follow my little plan…"

"I only hope it won't end up in a failure again…" Jin muttered as he left.

Kurz waited for his comrade to be out of the room, then he approached Dennis. "…you really like that girl? She's a bitch!... but aside that… count me in if you want to screw that little group… but what have you got in your mind?"

Dennis' smile broadened. "… everything with due time, my friend… after all, revenge is a dish to be served cold…"

_**Jin: **__A member of Strega and right-hand man of the group leader, Takaya. Not much is known about this stylish-looking teenager, aside the fact he always walks around with a metallic briefcase and often hangs around internet points and arcades. He's a master in gathering information and profiles and admires Takaya as if he was some sort of deity._

**08/08/09**

Sun shone across the room's window as Kumiko looked outside while sitting on her bed. Her mind went once again to the events of two days earlier and about how she felt like she was finally catching up with her long-lost friend Shinjiro, which made both happy and nervous for some reason she couldn't figure out.

As she put on her light blue sleeveless shirt, her eyes went to the wall clock: it was 9:30 AM already. "Geeze… I don't feel like working on Doujinshi today… I might as well go to the hotel and see if someone feels like going to the movies with me… there's a sci-fi marathon today!" she mused aloud as she walked outside her room.

"Ah, Kumiko-Chan… are you going to Kotobuki Hotel again?" An elder woman wearing a red yukata asked as she peeped outside the kitchen. "If you're going, why don't you stop by the Iwatodai dorm and see how Ken-Kun is doing? I'm kind of worried about him… a high school dorm is no place for such a child! He could spend summer here, don't you think?"

"Alright, grandmother. I'll take care of it." Kumiko replied.

"Oh, and please, dear… don't come home too late… don't forget we need to arrange the shrine for the Summer Festival!"

The teenage girl shrugged. "But grandmother… the festival will only be in two Sundays! There's still plenty of time…"

"Back in my days we prepared festivals more a week earlier so to have more time to enjoy this… you modern youngsters just can't appreciate the pleasure of arranging things for a good, customary festival!" the old lady grumbled from the kitchen, loud enough for the girl to hear that.

"Yeah, yeah… well I'm off!" Kumiko replied while rolling her eyes with an awkward smile. _That kind of attitude from the elderly is the one thing that doesn't change, I guess… _

As she walked down the staircase leading outside the shrine field, she spotted Akihiko going (actually, jogging) her direction. As he saw her approaching, he stopped to catch some breath.

"Don't waste any time training, hm?" She chuckled.

"Of course not!" his words sounded serious and self-boisterous. "Once summer break's over, we won't have much time for things we want to do, so we'd better not waste any."

Kumiko shrugged. "…I guess."

"Anyway, Fukuyama… Mitsuru wants me, since I'm your classmate, to talk you about something really important… it's about Koromaru…"

The girl's eyes widened for a moment as she faced her classmate. "Did he have a relapse? He's… he's alive, isn't he? Please, tell me if something's wrong with him…!"

Akihiko put both hands in front of his own chest as to tell her to calm down. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

With that, he looked at his back to see the white and grey dog frolicking towards Kumiko, his scarlet eyes shimmering with joy and health. The girl merrily stretched her arms wide open as she bent down to embrace her dearest pet. Immediately, he leaped on her, both front paws on her shoulders as he frantically licked her face, his tail thumping madly.

Once Koromaru's joyful way to greet her human friend stopped for a moment, Kumiko finally stopped laughing and stared at him with a very sweet smile. "Oh, Koro! you look healthier than ever, boy! Don't ever make me worry that way again, you heard me?"

The dog barked as to reply her words. He then leaped down, walked in circle and stopped in front of Kumiko, his tail still thumping. It was then that she noticed: he was wearing some sort of white bulletproof vest and a mechanical collar with two small wings attached on the rear. The girl blinked, not really understanding what that getup was.

Akihiko took a deep breath and answered her unasked question, uncertain about how to give her the news. "Yes, well… that's a special collar developed by the Kirijo Group to help him control his Persona… some sort of Evoker for dogs…"

"Oh… I see…" she said as she bent down to the dog once again. Then, realization struck her. "Wait, you don't mean…?!"

The silver-haired boxer nodded. "Some tests were made and it seems it's possible… so the Chairman would like to enlist Koromaru's help in our fight… Mitsuru concluded that making such a decision on our own would have been wrong, so…"

"…you wanted to ask me first…right?" Her voice sounded like miles away… she almost lost Koromaru to the shadows already, the idea of letting him fight against shadows with SEES didn't smile at her. " Don't know… I'd rather not get him involved…"

"Kumiko…" he looked in her eyes; she could see a shadow of sadness in his own. "Maybe you don't realize it yet, but Koromaru is an incredible dog… despite all of the bad memories, despite the fact he saw someone he cared for die in front of his eyes… despite all of this, he kept on fighting… kept on protecting what he was supposed to… I think having someone like him around would… dunno how to say it… help me to become mentally stronger… I know it sounds selfish… I just wanted you to know it."

Kumiko's eyes went to the floor. "But still…"

It was then that Koromaru whimpered, staring at the girl with his deep, sad eyes.

"What? You want to return the favour?"

Koromaru kept on staring at her, his eyes sadder and sadder. her face grew grimier as she looked at her. "…is that what you want…?"

Koromaru whimpered another time, his eyes went to Akihiko and then to Kumiko again. The girl felt something inside her shattering. She wanted to respect her dog, although getting apart from him made her feel bad. She shook her head, closing her watery eyes and bent down on Koromaru, putting both hands around the dog's shoulders.. "…I understand… but… don't overdo it, boy… will you?"

Koromaru yipped and thumped his tail at the girl. Akihiko walked closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Kumiko… I'll make sure nothing bad happens to him."

"…I know" she graced him with a sad smile. "Thanks, Sanada-Kun…"

After that, she rose up on her feet and saw him walk away with the dog as she felt a slight pain in her heart. She felt bad about Koromaru leaving but she trusted Akihiko and Mitsuru, she knew they would have taken good care of him…wouldn't they?

"Ah, Sanada-Kun! Be sure to give him first-choice beef and vegetable to eat! He's very picky about food… be sure he won't get anything overcooked, or else he won't eat it!"

Akihiko's head tilted as he smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

**08/09/09**

The hotel's main door closed as Shinn quietly entered the lobby that evening. When his teammates greeted him he didn't reply, he simply kept on looking at the floor as he sat at one of the tables in the dining room and rested his head over his clasped hands.

Miyuki approached him. "Did something happen to the hospital? Is that girl alright?" she asked, concern in her voice.

He quietly shook his head. "No… this time, she was OK… but man, I can't stop thinking of the time she first woke up in that hospital room… she was so upset… and scared… she even mauled a nurse and had to be anesthetized… it was terrible… it hurts seeing her like this…"

The pink-haired girl with glasses sighed. She then sat next to him as Kagami, Tsukasa and Kumiko approached. "Um… I know Athrun-Kun said to not trust that girl and all… but I think she's not really evil… she's nothing but a victim… so… uh… stay by her side, OK?" Tsukasa shyly said.

Kagami scratched her cheek. "I'm not exactly sure of how much that's true… you can never be too careful… but I think Shinn-San can work it out somehow… I mean, he did manage to reach her, after all…"

"…if we manage to get rid of the Dark Hour, our Personae will disappear… and Stellar will be free too, right?" Shinn whispered to no one in particular.

Kumiko nodded. "…probably."

Finally, he rose up his head and faced his teammembers, determination in his eyes. "OK, then. I'll do it! After all, I said I would have protected her… and this is the best way to fulfil that promise… for her… and for me as well."

Kumiko graced him with a slight smile. "…seems like you eventually found your reason to keep on fighting, hm?"

Shinn nodded and got up from his seat. "I don't care what that jackass Athrun says. I decided to stick with Stellar as much as I can! I'll be sure to check on her at the hospital every time I got the chance to…!"

"Very nice, Shinn-San…" Kagami said with an awkward smile. "But… aren't you forgetting you have to attend summer school?"

Shinn's enthusiasm died out as soon as Kagami said that and the junior collapsed on the chair again. "ARGH!! I totally forgot about that!! DAMMIT!!"

The girl with twin tails put both hands on her waist and pouted. " …you could avoid that by studying during this semester… there's no use in crying over spilt milk, you know…"

"Now, now… Shinn-Kun… I need to attend too, at least you won't have to go alone!" Tsukasa said, trying to cheer him up. "Cheer up, will you? Have some watermelon!" she added with a smile, leaving everyone awestruck.

**08/11/09**

"Phew… it's hot today… if it were me, I would have stayed home playing Super Robot Allstars K…" Konata mumbled as she entered the hotel lobby with Kumiko in her tow that afternoon. "…I don't feel like exploring Tartarus with this heat… can't we skip it since Tsukasa and Shinn are busy with summer school?"

Kumiko's shoulders dropped as she shook her head. "I feel you, I really do… I, too, would rather play my PS2 indoor… but we're behind schedule already because of the fact some of our team members must attend classes… besides, it's not that hot during night… so, let's try and put up with that, OK?"

"I guess that's what comes with having just a few members… SEES sure is lucky about that…" the tiny girl sighed with her typical playful smile. "I wish we had more members…"

It was then that they noticed Shinn, Tsukasa and Miyuki sitting at the lobby's main table, the latter carefully placing some cards on it as the first two observed carefully. When Kumiko inquired about that, Miyuki started explaining: "You see, Asuka-San and Hiiragi-San had a lecture about Tarot cards during today's class, so I was helping him by explaining that a little better, since they didn't really get much of that."

"Good idea, Miyuki." Kumiko nodded. "It could even be useful in our fight, after all…"

"Really?" Tsukasa blinked. "How so?"

"All of the shadows we faced so far are related to a specific Major Arcanum within Tarot cards… you can easily recognize each shadow's Arcanum by the mask they wear, which have a different shape and roman number on it… the same thing is to be applied to each one of our Personae." Miyuki explained.

Shinn placed a hand in front of him, frowning. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Start by explaining WHAT these Major Arcana are!"

The good-looking young woman with glasses took a deep breath and started her long explanation: "I do not know how much you've been told during today's lecture, but the modern 78-card Tarot deck is composed by 22 Major Arcana – also known as face cards – and 56 Minor Arcana – the number cards or pips –. Now, unlike the Minor Arcana, the Major Arcana cards all have some specific illustrations on their faces and they depict a story which is a metaphor of each one's individual journey through life; it begins with card number 0, The Fool, and progresses in numerical order up to card number 22, The World, each Arcanum depicting a key phase in individual growth and experience."

Miyuki paused for a moment to catch some more breath before resuming her explanation, by placing each one of the 22 Arcana cards in order: "Like I said earlier, the first Arcanum is number 0, The Fool: it represents the beginning and infinite possibility… just like the number itself; then we have the second card, The Magician: it stands for action and initiative… and a bit of immaturity; now, this one is The Priestess – also known as High Priestess –: it means inner knowledge… The Empress and The Emperor Arcana respectively represent motherhood and fatherhood as opposing cards, with the latter including the ability to take command; and this one is The Hierophant: it means formality and knowledge; The Lovers stands for a choice to make, with your own consciousness finally emerging; The Chariot represents a momentary victory for the individual; The Justice represents knowledge of what's right and what's wrong, as its name implies; and so we reach The Hermit, which stands for an inner search of answers you need to accomplish on your own; now we have The Fortune – also known as The Wheel of Fortune –, depicting fate and the opportunity it can bring, either good or bad; The Strength Arcanum depicts passion and self-control, the willpower you need to overcome obstacles; The Hanged Man marks your own inability to take action in a specific circumstance, passivity… and so we reach the 13th Arcanum, The Death. Now, don't be swayed by its grim name and think this is a completely negative card: although it symbolizes your own spiritual death, it also marks a new beginning, just as death is after all husbanded with rebirth.

And so, your own transition path continues with The Temperance Arcanum: the ability to balance the opposites and set your eyes to your own true inner growth… which eventually brings you to face temptation, here depicted as the following Arcanum, The Devil… this brings about The Tower, which marks the collapse of your own former values and creeds, apparently leaving nothing left to you… that is until you see a new glimmer of hope as new possibilities open in front of you: that is what The Star, maybe one of the most beautiful Major Arcana, depicts… but be careful, for this new opportunities will make you vulnerable to fears and uncertainties which are brought about by The Moon Arcanum… still, you needn't to falter, for what is waiting for you is marked by The Sun, which depicts a bright path to walk towards the future, towards your own true achievement as small things will help you find true happiness.

And so you finally reach the end of your long journey of discovery, which is marked by The Judgment: you look back at the long path you trailed and ponder about all the things happened to you, either right or wrong, finally able to judge it with a just and serene state of mind; this brings about your own true accomplishment, your true awareness of your own place in the world: such is what the final Arcanum, The World, symbolizes."

After completing her very long explanation, Miyuki leaned her own back on the chair and faced her teammates with an awkward smile. "Um… I realize it was quite a long explanation… and this whole thing about your own life and such isn't exactly entertaining to most of people… I hope it didn't bore you."

"Not at all, Miyuki… that was quite interesting… wasn't it?" Kumiko said shaking her head.

Tsukasa wanted to say something, but that long explanation left her completely clueless: actually, she didn't get much of it as Shinn was on the verge of falling asleep. Seeing that Kumiko grimaced. "…well, I did like it. But there is something else I'm curious about: how you can relate The Arcana to each one's personality… if you think about it, our Personae are supposed to be our inner selves and each one has an Arcanum… so…"

Miyuki was on the verge of resuming a new explanation, when her cell phone rang, causing Shinn to sigh in relief… three long explanations were clearly too much for him to handle! Immediately, Miyuki took out her phone and saw who it was; for some reason, a slight blush hued her cheeks as she read the name on the phone's display and she got up, walking in a corner of the lobby as she answered. Konata looked at her with an even more playful smile as she sneaked behind her to overhear the conversation.

Miyuki's voice sounded even sweeter for some reason. "Yuki-Kun! I haven't heard from you since a while…" she then sounded in awe for a while. "AH! Oh, I…I'm so sorry… I totally forgot about that!... well, I didn't mean… well, happy belated birthday, then!… yes, I missed talking to you as well… how is everyone doing?… Oh, I see… me? I'm fine. I have Izumi-San and the others with me… Fukuyama-San is very nice as well… and Kurohagane-Sensei too!… I know it might sound crazy, but because of some sort of time-space anomaly, things are never boring around here… I'm doing my best to help researching that, it's all I can say… bothered me? Umm… no, no one in particular… even though Zala-San tries and approach me now and then… yet again, he does it with every girl, so…… what? Here? For real?? Oh, that would be wonderful! When are you planning to?... this Friday? OK then, I'll come to the station around that time! Bye!"

With that she put her phone back in its place and chuckled with a slight blush as Konata approached. "Lemme guess… it was Sanada, right?"

The pink-haired girl nodded, her face becoming redder.

"Sanada? You mean…" Kumiko asked, confused. After all, she only knew one boy named Sanada.

Konata noticed that and chuckled. "No, not Akihiko-Kun… 'Sanada' is just a nickname… his real last name is Takeda… but… you'll probably get to know him very soon. He's coming here, isn't he, Yuki-Chan?"

"Um… actually, it's still not 100% sure, but… he said he was thinking to come here…" Miyuki shyly said with a slight smile.

"Well, with some luck, he might come before Sunday, so you might get to go to the Summer Festival with him! Wouldn't going there with your boyfriend nice?" Konata asked while nudging her friend, causing her to become almost purple.

It was then that they all noticed Athrun, who was frozen right in front of their table, his eyes widened in shock. He then, shakily pointed a finger at Miyuki as he stuttered: "W…w…you…you have a BOYFRIEND?!"

The girl frantically moved her hands in front of her while shaking her head. "Z…Za…Za…Zala-San! Please, don't scream like that!"

But Konata merrily confirmed his doubts, causing Miyuki to feel even more embarrassed while Athrun took some steps backwards, his arms hanging limp as his face was frozen in stupid-looking face. After a few seconds he stood like that, in shock, he rushed upstairs, in his room. Right after that, everyone present could swear they could hear some loud sobs and screams, causing Miyuki to sit down, resting her head on her own hand as everyone else looked at Konata who couldn't stop chuckling.

**08/14/09**

"Coming!"

The hotel's door bell rang twice, causing Kagami to go walk to the door at a fast pace, wondering if it was a new customer… maybe it was Kumiko, who was done with the daily arrangements at the shrine for the Summer Festival?

She was quite surprised when she saw who stood on the doorway: it was a tall and well-muscled young man with scarlet narrow eyes and short hair, most of it – safe for a few bangs – pulled back. He wore a blue bomber jacket over a red T-shirt and blue jeans, keeping both hands in its pockets, causing his back to arch a little. Anyone could have said the guy was an up to no good punk, but Kagami felt relieved for some reason.

"Oh, Yukimura-San! I've rumors about you coming here, but it's still a surprise!" She greeted him with a bow.

The newcomer she called Yukimura shrugged as he stepped in. "Yeah well… I wasn't much specific, I guess… but I think I hinted MiWiki I could come today and we agreed to meet at the station…"

The girl with twin tails sighed as she closed the door. "Yes, well… she's…"

Miyuki's scream could be heard from upstairs as she rushed down the lobby. "Oh no, it's so late!! I missed the train!! Now what am I going to…do…?" she stopped on her tracks as she saw the tall guy on the doorway, causing her to blush.

"Ah… h…hi, Takeda-San…"

He nodded. "Hey. I thought I told you to either call me Sanada or Yukimura."

Miyuki bowed down, an air of frustration on her face. "I…I'M SORRY!! I know I had to come get you at the station, but… that book was SO good, I…I…"

"Same old MiWiki… I figured something like that happened, so I came to the hotel on my own. (I'm glad the letter that Kurohagane guy sent had the hotel address…)… not a bad place at all." The red-haired young man shrugged.

The door bell rang again and Miyuki reopened it: this time it was Konata and Kumiko staying on the doorway. Kumiko blinked. _What's Asch the Bloody doing here? _

"Ooh, so Sanada came after all!" Konata chirped as she walked around him.

"Well, well…Miss Dragon Punch herself… You haven't changed a bit." Yukimura smirked, both hands on his sides.

Kumiko tilted her head as she looked at Konata. Seeing that, Kagami explained: "Yes, well… Konata-San impulsively delivered a Shoryuken on this guy in an attempt to 'rescue' Miyuki-San from him… while he wasn't planning any bad. He nicknamed her like that since then."

"Fukuyama-San…" Miyuki gestured at the boy. "this is Yukimura Takeda-San, one of our former schoolmates…" then, to him: "Yukimura-San, this is Kumiko Fukuyama-San, our leader in our research project about time-space phenomena I told you about."

_Yukimura "Sanada" Takeda? Why do I have the feeling Mr. Ono would love that name? _The scarlet-eyed brunette thought as she examined the newcomer

"So you're the girl I've heard about. Say, I owe you one for looking after this bunch!"

Kumiko blushed as their eyes met. _Wow… he looks rowdy but he actually seems like a nice guy… just like Shinji-Kun! _Her thoughts were interrupted by a strong smell of something burnt. It was then that everyone noticed some black smoke coming from the kitchen.

"FIRE!! FIRE!!" Tsukasa cried as she dashed downstairs inside the kitchen, followed by the rest of the bunch.

As the smoke became clearer, they all could see Shinn wearing an apron and kitchen mittens while holding a silver plastic container with overcooked potatoes as black smoke came out of the oven.

"What fire?!" Shinn angrily muttered. "The only thing on fire is my poor taters… this is the third time I tried cooking them today, no avail…" he then angrily threw the overcooked potatoes in the trashcan, looking like on the verge of tears. "Just where do I go wrong…?!"

"Hey, Shinn-Kun… since then do you cook?" Kumiko asked, even more perplexed. She never saw the junior trying to make any dish.

Konata tapped her shoulder and whispered in her ear. "It all started yesterday, after he went to the hospital to check on that Stellar girl… I couldn't make much out of his never-ending cussing but it seems like some guy in a red coat who knows how to cook rather well came to see her with a delicious-looking packed lunch… last thing I know is Shinn-Kun trying to learn how to cook."

Kumiko left out an awkward chuckle. She could imagine the guy he talked about being only one person: Shinjiro; after all, he seemed like knowing Stellar and was a very skilful chef.

"Man, your old friend Shinjiro sure is something… he's not just a cool and powerful guy, he's also great at cooking…" The tiniest girl mused. "…an awesome guy who can cook and hides a tragic past of sorts… and looks shifty… OK, from now on, his name will be Regal Bryant Jr.!!"

That remark caused Kumiko to chuckle because of the truth of it. On his hand, Shinn didn't seem amused at all and checked the recipe book once again as Yukimura examined the oven. It was then that the black-haired teenager noticed him. "Never seen you before… you must be the guy everyone were talking about…hmm… Yukimura, right?"

"That's right… and you are…?" Yukimura asked while arching an eyebrow… at first he wondered if this boy was the infamous Zala trying to hit on Miyuki; that is, until he remembered the fact Zala had blue hair and green eyes, while Shinn had black hair and scarlet eyes. "You… aren't a relative of that Kumiko girl, right? You look pretty similar…"

Both Shinn and Kumiko glanced at each other, confused. Then they both shook their heads. "Nah, it's just a coincidence. If you haven't figured it out, name's Shinn. Now if you excuse me, I need to learn how to bake these darn potatoes!"

"Oh, I know!" Tsukasa clapped her hands with a smile. "Shinn-Kun! Why don't you ask Yukimura-Kun for help? He's pretty good at cooking!"

That caused both Shinn and Kumiko to jolt as both looked at the newcomer in disbelief. "You… can cook??"

Konata chuckled: "What's with the surprise? Shinjiro-Kun looks rowdy but he can cook well himself… right, Kumiko-Chan?"

Kumiko blushed a little as she scratched her cheek. "Um… I never got to really try his cooking, but that's what I've heard…"

"Oh? Here goes my so adorable picture of you and that lad sitting under a cherry tree, as you taste all the food he worked so hard to make… just for his dearest Kumiko-Kun…" Rei's voice said from outside the kitchen, causing Kumiko to wince as her whole body turned red. Seeing that, the computer teacher left out a sardonic cackle as he shrugged. _So that's the famous Rei Kurohagane…the one who wrote me… I don't know why, but he DOES have a manipulative bastard aura about him… better watch out for him… well, at least he's on our side. _Sanada thought.

"Yukimura 'Sanada' Takeda, I would assume… your being here means you got my letter. I hope you'll like Kotobuki hotel and you'll enjoy the sights of Iwatodai and Port Island." Rei said shaking Yukimura's hand. He then whispered in the boy's ear while winking. "By the way, in case you're wondering… your target is upstairs at the moment, so feel free to 'talk' to him anytime."

The professor then walked to the rest of the group. "Well then, it's almost supper time… so… why don't we let our new guest to make something for all of us? Once he's done arranging his stuff and Shinn is done cleaning up, of course."

Shinn cried after hearing Rei's words, but the man told him HE needed to clean up the kitchen because HE was the one who caused all of the mess. As Kumiko and the professor went out of the kitchen, the first inquired about the letter he mentioned. "Details, Kumiko-Kun… details… Anyhoo, do you want to dine here with us tonight? Seems like you took a liking of our new guest? Sorry to bring you down, but his heart lies elsewhere."

"Well, he DOES seem interesting… but no more embarrassing lies about me and Shinji-Kun… OK?" She muttered while staring him coldly.

Meanwhile, Miyuki and her three friends accompanied Yukimura upstairs to see his room. It was then that the red-haired youth finally spotted Athrun, who felt a chill running down his spine as Takeda threw him a stare ad piercing and venomous as a poisoned shuriken. _You just try and approach Miyuki again and you're in for a world of hurt, you fucking ass!_

_**Yukimura "Sanada" Takeda: **__A rowdy-looking teenager who hails from the same city and school Konata, Miyuki and the Hiiragi twins are from. He owes his name and nickname to his father, a history nut who named him after Yukimura Sanada, a soldier who fought for the Takeda clan during the Tokugawa era. Despite the fact he looks and talks like a punk, he's a good-natured young man with a strong sense of justice and would do anything to protect people around him. He seems to like Miyuki a lot but still can't find the heart to confess it. _

Later that day, all of the Kagayaku members, including Rei and Yukimura, gathered together in the hotel's restaurant; their table was covered up with many delicious dishes, both eastern and western, all made by the newcomer. The atmosphere was very lively as everyone talked merrily and friendly… even though, now and then, Yukimura, as he heard of all the advances he did to Miyuki and other girls, threw angry, piercing stares at Athrun, who kept on eating while weeping.

"Whoa! You weren't bluffing when you said you're good at cooking!" Shinn said as he sampled the couscous Yukimura made. "Hey, where did you learn to be that good? I wouldn't mind learning your secret at all."

"Let's put it this way" Yukimura said as he graced Miyuki with a slight smile. "When your father is in charge of cooking… and HE CAN'T COOK… you must do things on your own… or rely on your mother who trains you and who often doesn't feel like cooking… besides, cooking is secret weapon #57."

"Right. Think you could share some of your skills with me, Yukimura?" he then winced, remembering something. "Oh yeah… I already asked Fuuka…"

As soon as he heard Fuuka's name, Rei was about to choke on his drink. Cleaning up his mouth with his napkin, he said. "I advise against asking her for help… but you're free to do as you please, of course…"

"Anyway, I think I said you can just call me 'Sanada'… why don't you do it?" Yukimura asked, causing his former schoolmates to chuckle.

"It's kind of hard… after all, we have a classmate whose last name actually is Sanada!" Tsukasa said.

Yukimura blinked for a moment, then he talked to Kumiko. "By the by… you make Doujinshi for the RK, right? I think I've read a few RPG-related ones. You're pretty good."

"You liked them? For real? Oh how relieving…" Kumiko sighed as she blushed. She then looked at Yukimura, surprised. "Wait… you mean you're a gamer? I wouldn't have thought that…"

He scratched the rear of his head. "Well, actually I'm mostly into classic games… you know, 2D sidescrolling action games like Metroid, Castlevania, MegaMan and Contra… 2D fighting games, shooters – like R-Type and Tohou, not those crappy FPS! –…RPG, like the Tales games and Star Ocean… and the Super Famicon era Squaresoft RPG, those good old games they made before joining with Enix and becoming SEllout."

Kumiko's eyes started sparkling. "Me too. I love all of the games you're talking about… although I'm mostly into RPG and a few SRPG with mecha... and I got to admit I still play my good old GBA games with my trustworthy DS."

"Well, well… seems like Kumiko-Kun has found a guy she can relate to." Rei grinned. He then approached Kumiko and whispered in her ear: "Just don't fall for him… you'll set yourself for a… royal heartbreak."

The girl arched an eyebrow. "Ooh, you worried about me? How rare…" she then eyed Miyuki, who looked at Yukimura with an expression of serenity. "…I must say I kind of envy them… I hope things will go better for them than how they did for me…"

**08/16/09**

The Summer Festival had finally arrived and Naganaki Shrine was bustling with activity. Many people, especially young couples, were frocking to enjoy the sights and entertainments of the festival. And there were plenty of things to do: catching goldfishes, lotteries, masks to buy, Takoyaki stands. While guys were all dressed in their ordinary outfits, most of girls were wearing their own traditional yukata.

Now and then, some guys' eyes couldn't help but going on the young girl tending the shrine: a good-looking girl with brown hair and scarlet eyes, wearing a Shinto Priestess outfit.

Kumiko.

Her outfit gave her quiet attitude something solemn, almost regal, which seemed like catching everyone's eyes… as for girls, some of them admired her beauty, while others seemed like annoyed by the fact their guys were eyeing her. As for Kumiko, she looked around to see all the people having fun and left out a sigh… she would have liked walking among them with a guy herself, so she somehow envied them all.

Then something caught her attention: a short, blond-haired girl wearing a metallic headset and a blue yukata with white flowers on it; there was also a red-haired girl with a refined-looking white yukata. The young priestess approached the duo. "Mitsuru-San…"

"Ah, Fukuyama… helping with the festival this year as well?" Mitsuru asked.

"Yeah… not easy at all… anyway, how is Koro doing?"

"He's doing fine. We're taking good care of him, so you don't need to worry."

Kumiko then bent down to examine Aigis. "Ooh, how cute, Aigis-Chan! Didn't expect to see you here… and that Yukata…"

"I am required to acquire as much information about human customs and habits as possible." Aigis answered without blinking.

Mitsuru put a hand on the robot's shoulder. "Chairman Ikutsuki had the idea. It's in order to test her level of adaptation and comprehension in the outer world… so to make sure we can let her go out on her own, you see?"

Kumiko nodded. "What a fabulous idea!" Then, to Aigis. "So, how is the Festival, Aigis-Chan? Having fun?"

The android nodded. "Affermative. But I have a question… what is the purpose of these things?" she asked while looking at the masks stand.

"That's called a 'mask': you cover your face with it for fun." Mitsuru explained.

"Hiding your face is fun?" Aigis asked while tilting her head.

The red-haired girl chuckled. "It's not the notion of hiding your face with it… you just try to… well… having a different face… pretending you have…like… a different face… I guess? Fukuyama … you know what I'm trying to say, right?"

Aigis interrupted both. "I comprehend… you wear a mask to pretend to have a different face."

"That's very clever, Aigis-Chan!" Kumiko patted the android's head. "At this rate you'll be able to get out of the dorm as much as you want."

Then, the young girl wearing priestess clothes heard someone else calling her name and excused herself from the two SEES girls. A few steps away, she could see Yukimura and Miyuki, the latter wearing a nice-looking red Yukata with sunflowers on it, while the first wore his ordinary red T-shirt and jeans. Both thought that Kumiko looked really nice in that priestly outfit.

"By the way, Fukuyama-San… have you seen Izumi-San and the others?" Miyuki asked. "They were right here and now they simply disappeared."

Immediately, Kumiko looked around until she spotted two girls wearing a Yukata which was similar to the one Miyuki wore and a dog-shaped mask, similar to Koromaru's face. The girl noticed that one of the two was tiny with long blue hair and stepped in front of them. "What are you trying to pull, hm? Konata?" Kumiko asked with a smirk.

"I'm not Konata!" the girl yelled in a hot-blooded way as she struck a Sentai-ish pose. "I'm known as Ai no Yuusha, the Hero of Love! And this here is my loyal sidekick…"

"Konata, that's enough… she figured it out…" Kagami said, removing her mask.

"Come on, Kagamin… we need to preserve the romantic atmosphere! You can't disrupt everything now!" Konata cried as she removed the mask herself as both Yukimura and Miyuki avoided each other's gaze while blushing violently.

"Now, now… let's leave them alone, shall we…?" the brunette said as she pushed both Kagami and Konata away and the three of them started talking on their own, the tiniest of the three still eyeing Miyuki and her friend, who now were buying some Takoyaki to eat, their embarrassment gradually fading away.

"By the way" Kumiko asked. "Where's your sister, Kagami? I haven't seen her since yesterday…"

Kagami sighed while looking around. "Well, I know she wanted to come with that Kenji boy… but it seems like he had other business… this is the third time he tells her… she once told me she suspect he's flirting with many girls and since then, I could swear I saw Tsukasa muttering something while holding a big and sharp knife... the glare in her eyes was simply scary…"

"Tsukasa… turning Yandere?... NAAAH, not Tsukasa!" The blue-haired tiny girl laughed.

Her laughter died out when they saw a knife flying over their head, towards Mitsuru and Aigis, which the latter deflected with her mechanic arm. Dumbfounded, everyone looked in the direction the knife came from (Precisely, above the shrine floor); all they could see was a silhouette of a girl with a kimono and someone screaming "WAAH! WHAT AM I DOING HERE?! HEEELP!! GET ME DOOOOWN!!!" in a very high pitch.

**06/20/09**

"Man, it's scorching hot out here…" Junpei mumbled as he scratched the rear of his head. As

"Well, IT IS August, in case you failed to notice…" Konata said as she started fanning inside her shirt with the movie marathon pamphlet she was holding.

"Can you believe it's the 20th already? Soon, summer break will be over and the next semester will start…" he complained. "If only this place wasn't so boring…"

The small girl hopped in front of him. "Hey, wanna hit the manga café? There's the AC in there!"

"We went there yesterday, Kona-Chan… can't we do something else?" The capped teenager sighed.

She puffed. "You only reject all of the proposals… why don't YOU try and propose something for a change?"

"It's because I can't think of anything fun to do, that's the reason…" He grimaced.

With that, Junpei started looking around, searching for something fun the two of them could do there in the Port Island Station Square. The movie theater? The genre of movie marathon they were showing that day wasn't of his taste… the bar? That could go just for a handful of minutes, nothing more… as much as he tried, he couldn't find anything fun to do at all…

A small yet cold voice to his right caught his attention. "Hey, you two… get out of my way, I can't see."

The lad was awestruck in seeing the voice's owner: a young girl with long red hair, wearing an elaborated frilly white dress and hairband, which also had some sort of cross-shaped knife going through it. The girl was sketching something in her sketchbook and her eyes seemed miles away. Noticing how he was gazing her, the girl seemed fairly annoyed. "What do you want? " she rudely asked.

"Um… no… nothing… let's go, Kona-Chan…" he stuttered, still in awe as he walked away with his friend. Once he was sure the girl in white couldn't hear them, he asked, more to himself than to Konata: "What's with that outfit?"

Konata sighed. "What, you've never seen a Gothic Lolita? That's the way they usually dress… well, usually their dresses are black, but that's the overall style. I've heard most of them can be quite mean, but… I guess the rumors are true."

Junpei looked at Konata while grimacing. "Look, I know what a Gothic Lolita is… I'm not THAT clueless… I just didn't expected to see one of them here, that's all!" his eyes went to the white girl again. "Hmm… I wonder what's she's drawing…"

"Hmm… who knows… Yaoi stuff, maybe?" she chuckled. "Hey, it's possible!"

"Yeah, right…" he shrugged, as both walked away.

**08/24/09**

"Dammit, I'm tired of your nagging!" the lower male voice said.

"Sorry, I won't take a no as an answer!" the other male voice replied.

Ken, who just got out of the Book On bookstore, tilted his head, wondering who those raises voices could belong to and looked beneath the railing. He could see two teenagers talking: it was Akihiko, who he admired because of his superb boxing skills and another guy with mid-long hair wearing a read coat and a beanie. For some reason, the child thought that shady guy looked somehow familiar, but… who could he be?

"You know…" Akihiko said with a slight smile. "Another member joined our group… it's a dog… a dog who's lost his master to the shadows… he kept on guarding the place his master died… despite all of the bad memories…"

The other teenager swayed his gaze without saying a word.

"We, too, saw someone die right before our eyes… but it's been two years… just… how long are you planning to beat yourself up over it? You're always in that back alley, not talking to anyone…"

The tall, shady guy shook his head. "It doesn't matter… what happened back then is all my fault and can't be erased… and even if I came to term with it, nothing would change… it's not as the same as what happened with Miki…"

"Shinji…" Akihiko lowered his gaze. He wanted to help his friend, but Shinjiro wasn't going to allow anybody in, so how could he?

"…enough with that… I just want to forget it ever happened…" Shinjiro grimly said as he walked away.

From the top floor of the strip mall, Ken stood there in shock, as if he heard something really terrible. The sound of someone calling his name didn't reach the child's ears… until he felt someone's hand shaking him. Instantly he faced the direction he felt the hand and saw Kumiko staring at him, worry in her crimson eyes. "Ku…Kumiko-San?"

"Hey, you alright, kiddo? You're as white as a ghost!" A young male voice said next to her. When Ken looked in that direction, he could see Shinn as well.

"No… no, I'm fine… don't worry about me." Ken sheepishly said. "What are you doing here, Kumiko-San? Shinn-San?"

"Well, Shinn wanted to see a few anime DVD featuring tough men, since Rei-Sensei suggested him to watch those so to be inspired to be tougher in battle… as for me, I'm currently handling a new promotion for the RK…" with that, the girl cleared her voice and started yelling ala Nobuyuki Hiyama (Authoress' note: a Japanese voice actor mostly specialized in hotblooded roles such as Guy Shishio from GaoGaiGar and Viral from Gurren Lagann… By the way, he also voiced adult Link from Legend of Zelda): "UOOOOOOH!!! JUST FOR THIS MONTH, PURCHASE A SUPER ROBOT ALLSTARS RK DOUJINSHI TO HAVE ONE THE GAMES THEY'RE FROM AS BONUS!!"

Once she was done, both Ken and Shinn stopped covering their own ears as Kumiko coughed for the strain she subjected her throat at. "Sorry, Anizawa-San suggested I had to be more passionate about stuff I publish, but… I just can't seem to do it properly…" she sighed.

Ken mused for a moment, his face troubled by something. He then faced Kumiko with determination. "Kumiko-San… do you know a person named Shinji?"

The girl blinked as Shinn complained about him practically popping out everywhere. "Well, I DO know someone named Shinji… don't let his look deceive you, he's not a bad person… although he didn't use to look like that until he disappeared a few years ago…"

"Would that be… two years ago…?" Ken asked in a strangely cold tone.

"Huh? That's right. But… why do you ask?" She asked, a chill running down her spine for a reason she couldn't figure out.

Instead of answering that question, Ken placed both hands on the iron railing. "…Kumiko-San…Shinn-San… I know it might sound strange but… don't laugh… I have a special power… I can see a hidden hour and summon a being named Persona…"

Kumiko and Shinn glanced at each other with a neutral face… that much they already knew after the latter overheard Ikutsuki hinting about Ken's potential.

"…why aren't you saying anything? Aren't you surprised ? Oh, maybe you don't believe me?" The child grimaced.

Both teenagers frantically shook their heads and pretended they were surprised.

"It really makes no difference, actually… anyway, I've heard there's a group of Persona-users named SEES… well, I decided to join that group…"

"Ken-Kun... isn't that… dangerous…?" Kumiko asked, not really knowing how to react… she could see it coming, but what would have the rest of SEES said?

"All this time, I wondered why I was given such a power… now, I think I've found the reason… I want to walk this path until the end… I'm sure that's also what mom would want…" Ken said as he faced both teenagers.

"But Ken-Kun…!" Kumiko wanted to protest, but Shinn held her.

"Kumiko… the kid means business… I don't know what caused him to decide this but he's going to do it anyway, so what's the use in stopping him…?" The younger of the two teenagers said, serious. _I know it well, because Ken is just like me… I can see it in his eyes, he wants to take revenge on his mother's killer… and won't allow anything or anyone to stop him… just like I want to avenge my parents… and Mayu… _

Finally, Ken faced both Kumiko and Shinn with a smile. "Please, stop worrying about me, Kumiko-San… I'll be fine! And once everything will be over, I'll go back at your place and have some of your grandmother's exquisite Sakura-Mochi!"

After uttering these words, Ken headed below. Kumiko didn't really understand what Ken's decision had to do with the questions he made about Shinjiro…

Then, it hit her: Ken's mother died two years earlier, just like Shinjiro suddenly changed two years earlier… were the two things related?

**08/29/09**

"And so I told Yukimura: 'since you're into retrogaming, I dare you to play Earthbound and beat the final boss, Giygas, during night!'… now THAT could be even creepier than a Survival Horror nighttime marathon! I mean, aren't things scarier when you can't expect them?" Konata didn't seem to stop talking, although her friend's mind was miles away. "Hey, are you even listening?"

"Man, this year is going fast…" Junpei sighed as he walked across the port station square.

"Don't you ever get tired of repeating that?" She mocked him. "Seriously, you're like a broken record!"

"Well, soon, second semester will start… and next year I will be a senior… time just passes on too quickly…" He sighed again.

"If you keep on worrying about that you'll completely stop enjoying life, Junpei-Kun! Remember Mr. Hanekoma's words in The World Ends With You? 'Enjoy the moment'!"

It was then that Junpei spotted the white-dressed girl Konata claimed to be a Gothic Lolita. After a few seconds, he decided to walk to her.

"Um, Junpei-Kun… do I have to remind you how rude she was at us?" Konata said, crossing her arms. Then, seeing he didn't stop, she shrugged as she followed him. "Well, if you want her to bash that sketchbook on your head, then be my guest…"

"You two again…?" The red-haired Gothic Lolita said without removing her eyes from her sketchbook.

"Oh, you remembered us!" Junpei said with a shy smile.

"Same goes for you…"

"Well… you kinda stand out in that dress of yours…"

_True enough… how can you forget someone with such a fancy getup…? _Konata thought as she felt something building up inside her… what was it?

"So…" Junpei said, noticing that the girl wasn't going to stop drawing "What are you drawing?"

"Nothing. Why?"

"Well, I just thought that having something you're really into must be nice…"

"I only draw because I like to, it's no big deal."

"Still, I'd like to see it once you're done!"

"Junpei-Kun… she doesn't want to talk to you, can't you tell? Let's just leave her alone before she REALLY bashes you with her sketchbook…" Konata said as she pulled Junpei away by his arm. The mysterious looking girl simply watched the two of them walking away and blinked.

**08/31/09**

Once again, Junpei and Konata were strolling through the Port Island Station main square. Once again, they spotted the white-dressed, red-haired sketching girl. But this time Konata felt annoyed by her presence for some reason… she just couldn't ponder why exactly. "Lemme guess… you want to talk to that girl again, huh? Didn't think you were into Gothic Lolita girls…" she said, mocking him.

"Don't be ridiculous, Kona-Chan! I just want to chat with her, that's all! Wouldn't you like to befriend her?" Junpei chuckled as he approached the sketching girl. "So, we meet again, huh?"

She kept on sketching without looking at him… as always. "That's because you keep coming back."

"I'm Junpei… and this girl here is Konata. What's your name? Are you from around here?"

The girl didn't answer: she simply closed her sketchbook and got up. Junpei noticed something that made him wince: there was a deep-looking cut on the girl's hand which just wouldn't have stopped bleeding.

"Hey, your hand…!" He cried, causing Konata to face her.

The girl wasn't going to stop, so he grabbed her arm, looking in her eyes. The small, blue-haired girl felt something strange as she saw it.

"I said wait!" he cried. "You're hurt!"

The girl in white flashed him with angry eyes. "Why don't you just mind your business?!"

"But you're bleeding, for cryin' out loud!" he said as she grabbed her hurt hand. "You need to put some pressure so to stop the bleeding…"

The girl in white blinked. "Why are you in such a panic?"

"Because he knows how to be nice… you know, you oughta learn a thing or two from him!" Konata said without looking at them.

"….you're a weird guy…" the girl said, delicately shrugging Junpei's hand off. She then started walking away but stopped for a moment to look at the two. "Chidori."

Both Junpei and Konata blinked.

"…my name. I thought you asked it… Junpei, right? I'm almost done with the picture… I doubt you'll understand it, but… if you still want to see it, you know where to find me." Chidori said as she left.

Junpei watched her walking away and sighed. Then, to Konata. "You think she's going to be OK? That cut worries me…"

Konata stayed silent for a moment. She then shrugged without looking at him. "Meh, I wouldn't worry about her… it didn't seem too painful."

"Kona-Chan… you're acting weird… something wrong?"

She smiled: "…must be your imagination! I just remembered that Kumi-Chan wanted to do a multiplayer session with the Ragnarok Online DS game! So… sorry for leaving you this way!"

Junpei didn't have time to say a word that Konata already rushed towards the trains as fast as the wind.

_**Chidori: **__A bizarre and mysterious girl who's mostly spotted in the Port Island station square sketching stuff. She seems like living in her own world, not sharing a word with any other person and always fancies a Gothic Lolita white outfit. She seems to be somehow related to the internet avengers group, or rather, Strega and to be able to move during the Dark Hour… what is her real power and her true goal?_

**09/01/09**

"Yuki-Kun… that uniform…" Miyuki choked, placing a hand over her mouth.

Yukimura simply blushed. "I know, I know… makes me look like one of those wealthy spoiled brats, huh…? Man, this sure is stiff!"

The girl with glasses shook her head. "Not at all, it looks good on you… but why didn't you tell me you were transferring to Gekkoukan High School yourself?"

The red-haired teenager didn't answer. He simply stared at the floor with a slight blush.

"If he did tell you, it would have spoiled the surprise." Rei said as he walked downstairs carrying his briefcase.

"Surprise?" The girls asked.

"Um… nothing…. Come on, you won't be late the first day of the new semester now!"

After that, the girls guided Yukimura (Who covered his uniform with his typical bomber jacket), making him see the way to reach the new school. Once they reached it, the young man looked up at the modern-looking building, not knowing what to say exactly.

"So, what do you think?" Tsukasa asked. "Impressive, isn't it?"

"…that's not the word I had in mind…" Yukimura said. _It'd better not be filled with folks like Gin, or else I'll puke… for some reason, I think he'd feel like home here!_

"I know you must feel out of place… even I felt like that when I first came here… but you'll get used to it." Miyuki smiled.

"It's different for you, Miyuki-Chan... such a school befits your social status…!" Konata said with a playful smile.

They then spotted Kumiko, who was wearing her typical blue sweater over her school uniform shirt and her thigh-length stockings. As always, the girl was running incredibly fast, but stopped once she noticed Yukimura. "Good morning, everyone. Good morning, Yuki-Kun…"

"Tell me the truth, Kumiko… I look like a moron in this uniform, right?" Yukimura asked, still feeling uneasy about his new, stiff school uniform.

"You look OK to me… but you would like to take off that bomber jacket… do you want to get in trouble with the teachers? Don't forget, first impression in a new school is vital, it marks you for life… that's why life in school is so tough!" She replied with a slight smile.

He grinned. "Damn straight… in fact, I have to work on my reputation immediately."

"And no matter what you do… watch out for a guy named Hidetoshi Odagiri… he's the one in charge of the Disciplinary Committee… he doesn't take crap from anyone and despises anyone bending rules. He can be quite a pain in the neck because of that." She added, raising a finger in a motherly way

"…I don't know him, but I already can't stand him…" Yukimura said with a groan.

Then, they all walked inside the school while talking merrily… when Kumiko suddenly felt a chill running down her spine. Immediately she spun around and saw Athrun running toward Miyuki. "Miyuki, dearest! You're as radiant as ever today!" he screamed as he leaped on her. Kumiko moved to intercept him, but Yukimura was faster than her and met him with a powerful punch right into the jaw, followed by a kick in his mid-section which caused him to slid backwards. The surrounding students gasped and stood back as they saw it.

"I thought I told you to not lay your filthy fingers on her, you son of a bitch!" The red-haired teenager muttered as he looked down to Athrun with a punkish grimace.

After a few seconds of silence, some students started whispering among themselves.

"Whoa, did you see that?" A female student, a sophomore asked.

"Yeah, that was incredible!" Another student, a junior whispered back.

"Hey, isn't that guy a new kid?" A male junior said.

"I've heard rumors about him" a female senior said. "He used to be a punk in his old school…"

"Geeze, now we can no longer say there are no people like that in this school… I'm sure there will be trouble…" a geek-looking sophomore said.

Yukimura, of course, noticed all of the people gossiping around him. As a new kid, he expected reaction and all, but he wanted to point he wasn't a guy to take crap from anyone since the first day. He put both hands in his jacket's pockets and threw piercing stares at all of the nosy students around, who immediately winced and withdrew. Kumiko looked at the whole scene and snickered. The similarity between him and Shinjiro was just too strong.

"Well, what's going on, here?!" A student wearing a yellow armband approached. He had pulled back black hair and a smart-ish smile on his face as he examined Yukimura thoroughly. "The new kid, hm… you're not in this school since even five minutes and already cause all of this commotion?"

"Speak of the devil…" Kumiko whispered. "That's Odagiri… I'm afraid you won't get off the hook that easily now…"

Yukimura sighed and smirked at Hidetoshi. "…Got a problem with that? That's how I handle things."

"You got some nerve, new kid… you're officially in my blacklist, so brace yourself. I'll make sure you'll be treated as the lowlife you are!" Odagiri said as he ran inside after hearing the bell ringing.

Konata put both hands on her side with a smirk. "Oooh, sca-ree… just try it! Sanada here will kick your arse so hard you'll kiss the moons!"

**09/02/09**

Kumiko stretched as she walked toward the school entrance once again. School was in session since a day, but that didn't mean she dislike waking up in early morning any less. As she rushed inside, she noticed a female student she never saw before, one who didn't seem being Japanese at all, since her short hair was blond.

Then, she noticed it: the girl wore a metallic headset! She approached the girl and saw Kenji was with her; it was Aigis alright.

"Greetings, Kumiko-San." Aigis said formally.

Once again, the senior examined her with a satisfied smile: the android was even cuter wearing the Gekkoukan school uniform. "Is there an outfit that doesn't look cute on you, Aigis-Chan?? But… I didn't expect to see you attending school."

"It is my demand that I attend school in order to stand by his side." The android said.

"By…Kenji's side?" Kumiko asked.

"That is correct. My duty is to stay by his side all the time." Aigis replied once again.

A strong noise to their left caught their attention. All they could see was Tsukasa with a fist stretched toward the closest stone bench, which featured a new crack. The girl's eyes were concealed by her forelocks. After a few instants of trance, she lifted her head and looked around, confused; that's when she could feel her own hand screaming in pain and clenched it while crying. Noticing something off about Tsukasa, Kumiko pushed Aigis inside the school. Kenji moved to do the same but felt someone grabbing his arm: Yukimura.

"OK, kid… mark my words well: I've heard you've been dating several girls… try and make Tsukasa cry and it will be my fist to do the talking… capiche?" he said with a piercing stare.

Kenji looked at him with worried eyes and nodded several times before entering the school.

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The sweet shop sliding door closed as the quiet-looking, black-dressed teenager strolled outside with a small bag. Satisfied, he looked inside, his violet eyes smiling for once. _Got to get her try it out one of these days… _Kira thought as he nodded.

Then, some voices caught his attention. He could recognize Shinjiro's voice, but… who was the other one? It wasn't one of "them"... curious, he looked to his right, where the voices came from.

"You're getting on my nerves!" Shinjiro spat.

"The situation has changed… sorry, but this time, I'm not asking!" The other guy, a silver-haired boy with a red vest over his white shirt quietly said. Kira could see another boy, one with blue hair, some bangs covering his right eye. The silver-haired one showed a briefcase to Shinjiro. "This belongs to you. We have a new enemy now… they're Persona-users like us."

Kira frowned, placing a hand over his mouth. It was just as he anticipated: with Strega butting in, things were becoming more and more hectic. But would that have been enough for Shinjiro? After all, he was involved with them… in fact, he was starting to leave.

But the silver-haired boy didn't flinch. "There's more… Ken Amada has joined our group."

Finally, his words caused a reaction from the one in the red coat, who looked pretty shocked. "What are you talking about?!"

His friend nodded. "He's got the potential and Ikutsuki-San okayed it. Now he's a Persona-user as well."

Shinjiro frowned. "…let me ask you one thing… was his decision to join SEES?"

He nodded, saying that the boy volunteered.

"I see… well then, count me in." Shinjiro said as he quietly took the briefcase from his friend's hands and asked something to the blue-haired boy before leaving, as the other two walked the other direction. Seeing he was walking his way, Kira walked to meet him.

"Sorry, I overheard… so… you finally decided to rejoin them, hm?" Despite his words, Kira's face betrayed worry.

"…isn't that what you wanted me to do? Can't you look a little happier?... man, I'll never put up with you. You're so hard to please…" Shinjiro said as he shrugged.

Kira looked at the iron platform they stood on. "I can't shake off the feeling something terrible will happen, that's all… tell me the truth… that person named Ken Amada is the reason you rejoined SEES, right?"

Shinjiro turned his back to the boy, his beanie concealing his eyes. "…it's none of your business."

He was about to leave but Kira stepped in front of him, looking right into his eyes. "Shinjiro… please…" he whispered.

The shady teenager cringed as he saw his face: his eyes, his smile… his whole expression was sweet in an over-mushy way! "Ugh… please… don't do it… don't you have any manly pride?!" Shinjiro muttered as his whole body shuddered.

Instead of stopping, Kira sweetened his smile and looked at him with pleading, sad puppy eyes.

"Ugh… OK, OK… I'll tell you everything! Just STOP giving me that look…"

**09/04/09**

Once the class was over, as always, Konata, Miyuki, the Hiiragi sisters, Yukimura and Kumiko gathered together to talk for a while before going back home. As they conversed, they noticed Akihiko leaving: he seemed in a good mood for a change. Since the other students already left, Kumiko felt free to talk with him as a fellow Persona-user.

"…you're looking in a great mood. How peculiar, since it's a full moon tomorrow…" she smirked.

He shook a finger to her while grinning. "…you should know I'm not one to get nervous about that. Besides, I'm confident about this operation more than ever."

Konata, who didn't seem to be in the usual good mood, eyed him with a sardonic smile. "…you're just glad because your boyfriend joined the party."

"He's not my boyfriend! Besides, it's a long story!" Akihiko replied, annoyed. He then looked at Kumiko with worry. _By the way… did Shinji tell anything to her?_

Noticing the worry in his eyes, Kumiko tilted her head, but he said it was nothing to worry about. Meanwhile, Konata got ready to leave, saying she was going to stalk Junpei, explaining how he kept on meeting Chidori… she also claimed she was going to buy some Gothic Lolita clothes sooner or later, causing everyone to be awestruck.

Later that day, Konata headed to the Port Island station square, where she was sure to see Junpei talking to that Chidori girl... which he did. Immediately, she hid behind a bench by the movie theater so to not be noticed and overheard their conversation as she felt something swelling inside her.

"Say, Chidori… can I see your hand?" Junpei asked.

Without saying a word, the girl stopped sketching and stretched out her hand. The capped teenager was surprised to see there was no scar at all, while the whole notion made a warning bell sound inside Konata's mind… something was definitely strange about that girl!

"Junpei…" Chidori quietly talked. "What do you do to make yourself feel alive?"

He chuckled. "Dunno… breathing, I guess? Honestly, I never thought about it before… what about you, Chidori? Is that the reason you draw?"

"Maybe… I don't understand myself very well." She sighed.

Junpei sat next to her. Unconsciously, Konata clenched one of the bench legs, causing it to shake.

"To tell you the truth, there is something that makes me feel alive…" he said with a confident smile. "when I get to play hero."

Chidori blinked, confused as he clenched his fist and said with a smirk: "In a hidden hour no one knows about, Junpei, one of the chosen heroes who know about it, fights the forces of evil in order to save the world!" he then got up and looked at her with a boyish smile. "You get the idea, that's when I feel alive."

Chidori simply stared at him without saying a word, making him feel awkward. _Geez, Junpei, you don't have to say it… how can you be so careless and naïve? _Konata thought as her eyes narrowed.

"You're s'posed to laugh, y'know…" He stuttered.

"So… do you fight all alone?" She asked.

"Hey, you don't need to take it seriously! I'm just joking around!"

"…fighting in a hidden hour no one knows about means no one will give you any recognition, since no one knows what you're doing… is that fine to you? I didn't know you were that kind of person. I'm impressed." Chidori remarked with a smile. For some reason, Konata thought it was really cold.

As for Junpei, he couldn't believe the girl actually believed his words.

She nodded. "Please, tell me more."

"OK, but don't tell anyone, will you?" Junpei grinned.

That whole matter caused Konata to facepalm. Was he serious in telling her the whole story so nonchalantly?! She could feel things would have become more complicated… or maybe she was just jealous?

Junpei put both hands on his sides and grinned. "You see, there's this power called 'Persona' which is the only thing that can defeat the evil monsters… that's why I was talking about chosen heroes! My friends are fighting too… and since I joined their group, we've been kicking serious ass. And there's more! There are also more friends of mine who formed another group… sometimes they even help us out in our fight… yeah, they totally rock!"

Chidori smiled again. "Sounds fun. Are you the leader in your group? It sounds to me you're pretty strong."

Junpei faltered for a moment, then he nodded. "I guess you could say that. They would be lost without me! Yes, being a leader is tough…"

The red-haired girl closed her sketchbook and got up. "I need to go now. Today was fun… thank you, Junpei. See you tomorrow, OK?" she said before she left. Seeing that as a clue, Konata got out of her hiding place and approached Junpei, fairly serious.

Seeing that he wasn't paying her any attention, she cleared her voice.

Finally, he turned in her direction while smiling broadly. "'Sup, Kona-Chan! Didn't see ya!"

"Don't ''Sup, Kona-Chan' me." She said, annoyed. "Are you really-really sure telling that girl about your role as a Persona-user is a good idea?"

Junpei blinked. "What do you mean?"

She shook her head. "I don't know how to say it in a non-painful way, but… I don't trust Chidori."

He merrily patted her head. "Now, now… since when do you worry so much, Kona-Chan? I know she might seem a little rude at first, but Chidori's actually a very nice girl!"

She grabbed his shoulders while looking in his eyes. "Listen! That cut on her hand healed too quickly… and she was way too interested in your hero games! Call it gamer's insight, but she can't be trusted."

Junpei's smiled turned into a frown. "Fine, I see how it is… you can't accept I can hang around with other girls so you're recurring to this… you're just envious, aren't ya?"

Konata puffed while placing a finger on her forehead. "Look, I'm just trying to warn you…"

But he didn't reply… rather, he walked away, annoyed. "I thought you were better than that, Konata… in any case, I'll see her again tomorrow, regardless of what you say!"

The girl looked at him walking away and swayed her gaze while puffing again. _You don't want to see the facts? OK, be my guest. Not my problem…_

**09/05/09**

Knowing that that night would have been a full moon night, the Kagayaku members agreed in meeting each other at the hotel before the Dark Hour occurred, so to be ready for any possible mission Rei had to give them.

Konata, who knew what the full moon meant for both groups, decided to contact Junpei in order to wish him good luck in that night battle against the shadow that would have appeared; although she didn't like the attitude he had in those last days, she didn't really feel like staying mad at him and wanted to demonstrate she's not one to hold any grudge – and maybe to make him feel a little guilty for ditching her –. A few hours before the Dark Hour occurred, she picked up her cell phone to call him. Strangely, he didn't answer the call. _Maybe he's using the toilet? _She thought as she tried calling him again… then two, three, four more times. Nothing, he didn't answer at all. Pouting, she put down the phone and picked up her DS so to kill time before the Dark Hour arrived.

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"Good, I see you're all here." Rei said as he once again entered his room, where the seven members of Kagayaku were gathered.

"So, what's the mission today?" Shinn asked, determined to complete his upcoming task more than ever, the reason clear enough for everyone.

Rei fixed his glasses on his nose and sat down. "As you probably know, both we and SEES suffered an assault by a third group of Persona-users, Strega. Fortunately, we all managed to handle the situation and our group also gained vital momentum by seizing one of the members of Strega."

They all nodded as Shinn clenched his fists… he wouldn't have never forgiven Strega for involving Stellar in that whole mess; if they were the enemy, he would have been glad to pummel them for good.

Rei continued: "Now, it's sure enough that Strega won't stop targeting SEES and Kagayaku anytime soon… that's why we must be on our guard and vigilant all the time. But we must be cautious, for we know virtually nothing about our enemy… and charging right into the enemy without knowing all of their peculiarities equals to suicide."

Tsukasa shuddered. "…but then… what are we going to do, Kuro-Sensei?"

The teacher frowned. "For now, I wish you to keep the situation on eye, so to make sure nothing serious will happen… if the need arises, I want you to intercept Strega and stop them before they cause any casualty."

Kumiko puffed as she rested her cheek on her hand. "In other words, we're on standby for the time being…"

"…At least we'll get some time to rest…" Kagami said as she leaned back on the couch.

Rei gestured Miyuki to scan the whole situation via Personomicon in order to monitor the situation. Immediately, the girl could pick up a gigantic shadow by Paulownia Mall… and nine Persona-users moving in that direction, the SEES members.

Noticing something off, the pretty young woman frowned. Rei noticed and asked her what was wrong.

"…according to my latest information, SEES was supposed to have ten members by now, since Aragaki-San has now joined their ranks… what is the meaning of this? Why do I sense only nine?" she said as she focused on Personomicon even harder.

"…are you sure, Miyuki?" Athrun asked as he cupped his chin.

She nodded, without removing her eyes from the book-shaped Persona. "…it's so strange. I can clearly recognize and pinpoint all of the SEES members… but for some reason, I'm having a hard time detecting Iori-San."

"Iori… you mean… Junpei-Kun is missing?" Konata leaped in front of her, tense. Now she was starting to worry; first he didn't answer the phone and now this? It couldn't just be a coincidence.

"Hm? Didn't he tell you anything?" Kagami asked.

The small girl put both hands behind her back and dug the floor with her foot while pouting. "Well… we haven't talked to each other since yesterday… and even yesterday, he was too wrapped in talking to this Chidori girl to pay any attention to me."

Shinn's mind snapped as he got up his seat. "What?! Did you say Chidori?!"

"You know her?" She asked.

"Um, no… not personally…" he replied while staring at his feet, frustrated. "…but Stellar often told me about someone named Chidori she used to stay with before we held her."

A grim silence covered the room as realization struck all of them.

Konata then clenched her fists and glanced outside. _I knew it! I knew there was something fishy about her! _"…wanna bet she contacted Junpei just because he's a Persona-user? And that idiot stupidly told her the whole story!"

Kumiko crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "…given the circumstances we can't exclude the girl is involved with Junpei's disappearance…"

"Are you sure you can't detect anything, Yuki-Chan? Not even if you try it really, really, really hard?" Tsukasa asked Miyuki with concern.

Miyuki closed her eyes and focused on Personomicon even harder; her whole head started spinning as she fell in some sort of trance, her eyes becoming Personomicon's. "You, whose eyes can see what others can't… you, who can see the world for what it really is… I beseech you… reveal the truth which is concealed to my sight…"after a few more seconds of concentration, she sensed something and frowned. "…mystifying…? His presence is being… mystified…? Is this what you're trying to say, Personomicon…?"

Shinn snapped his fingers. "Hmm! Maybe the girl's Persona has some special power allowing her to nullify her presence and preventing her to be detected!... and the same goes for those around her!""

Both Athrun and Kagami hushed him, so to not break Miyuki's concentration. Miyuki's face relaxed as she kept her eyes shut. "Now I see, Asuka-San… It's not Iori-San's presence I need to focus on… I must try and break the girl's wall."

"Can you do it, Miyuki?" Kagami asked, concerned.

"I… I'm not sure, but… I need to try!" the girl with glasses frowned once again as beads of sweat started forming on her forehead. The two twins looked at her with concern.

Rei put a hand on Kagami's shoulder and nodded, decisive. "Believe in her power. That's all you can do. As far as I'm concerned, she will do just fine."

Suddenly, Miyuki's eyes snapped open. "AH! I can see her! She's within Iwatodai dorm… and Iori-San is with her!"

Everyone jolted as they heard it. "You mean the SEES guys had Junpei right under their nose all along?! That's idiotic!" Kagami spat.

Konata looked at Kumiko, literally asking her to deploy and save him. If Junpei was in danger, she wasn't going to stand and watch, she wanted to help him. The girl in blue sighed and stood up herself. "I think Rei-Sensei made it all clear enough… the orders are to intercept Strega in the event they tried to assault either us or SEES… besides, I think SEES will bee too busy with the shadow to take care of this. In other words, it's all up to us…"

The smallest girl clenched her fist and grinned. "That's my Kumi-Chan!" she then saluted. "Yes sir! Commencing 'Operation Rescue Junpei!'"

"Hold it." Kumiko said, placing a hand in front of herself. "Don't forget we are to infiltrate the dorm… it's highly possible that the Chairman is still there… and we can't exclude the girl has the same power Miyuki has… in other words, we must be very cautious in this operation."

Konata nonchalantly put both hands behind her head and smiled playfully. "I know, I know. Don't worry about that! For the record, I'm an ace at games like Tenchu and Metal Gear Solid…"

Kagami shook her head, reminding her this was no game and then everyone went outside as Rei told them he had something to take care of. As soon as they left, the teacher walked upstairs, where Yukimura's room was.

Unknown to the rest of the group, Rei had monitored Yukimura's behaviour and reactions to the whole Dark Hour matter; first of all, the young red-haired man didn't Transmogrify into a coffin and, aside a few irregularities during his sleep, his conditions were perfectly normal and he wasn't targeted by shadows. In other words, there were really high chances Yukimura was a Persona-user himself… just as Rei himself anticipated. He only needed a good chance for his potential to sprout… and maybe that night was the perfect setup for it…

As soon as he arrived in front of Yukimura's room, Rei knocked on the door so to wake him up, took out a piece of paper he wrote down and slipped it under the door before leaving.

Hearing the knocking, Yukimura – whose slumber wasn't very deep around that time – snapped his wide open and rose up in a sitting position as he looked around. The greenish aura and grim silence around him caused a chill to run down his spine… and… he was not sure since the room was dark but… was something dripping on he wall?

Immediately, he touched his way to the bedside lamp and tried to turn it on… strangely, it didn't seem to work… groaning, he moved to the window and opened the tent so to have some more light… he choked as he looked at the moon… so big, pale and bright, emanating a pale green glow. He then, looked at the streets; the view left him dumbfounded… why there were blood stains all over… and what were all those coffins?! _I'll be damned if this isn't related to the time-space phenomenon I've heard about…and I wasn't going to believe it! _ He thought as he stepped backwards. Creeped out, his first instinct was to check on Miyuki to see how she was doing. As soon as his eyes got used to the dimly lit space around him, he reached the first clothes he could find in that dark place, his school uniform, and moved to open the door … when he noticed the piece of paper on the doorway and picked it up, then moving toward the window so to have some more light. It was Rei's handwriting.

"_They're going to the Iwatodai dorm. _

_You're planning to follow them, right? _

_There's some stuff you might find useful in the storeroom downstairs._

_Remember, open up your mind, take control of it and focus… that's the key. _

_Good luck._

_--RK"_

_Tch… he got it all figured out… as always…_Yukimura thought as he mockingly waved the piece of paper. As he headed inside the storeroom, the red-haired youth first had a hard timing getting used to the surrounding darkness. Once he did, he could spot an object which was similar to a joystick, a spark-shaped pin and one single weapon, a cross-shaped spear. _Did he mean this stuff, hm? What am I supposed to do with this?_ Yukimura thought with a grimace as he picked up the pin and the joystick. He then groaned and shook his head. He needed to hurry if he wanted to catch up with Miyuki and the others… and the weapon in the storeroom could only mean one thing: he was getting himself in something dangerous!

But he wasn't going to falter. Not if he could do something to help her… and the others. He wouldn't have turned back! It would have been against his nature. With a smirk, he took the pin and wore it on his jacket, he then laced the joystick bag to his belt and vigorously grabbed the spear with both hands, trying it out a few times: it was lighter and easier to handle than he thought. Feeling ready, he stretched a fist in front of himself and said: "…Groovy!" before leaving for the dorm.

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"Found it yet, Yuki-Chan?"

"Give me one moment, Izumi-San… don't be patient…"

"…it's not like we have much time, you know!"

Konata just wouldn't have stopped grumbling: the whole situation made her so frustrated she couldn't help but be upset at everyone.

Kagami put both hands on her sides and shook her head. "Look, Konata… we know you're worried about Junpei… but it won't do anything good if you cause Miyuki-San to overexert herself… she's already exhausted by cracking that girl's wall, you wouldn't want her to collapse during the operation, right?"

"Ah… please, don't be concerned about my well-being, Hiiragi-San… I will be fine…" Miyuki weakly said as she still had her hands stretched on Personomicon. Kagami winced as she noticed, from the girl's face, how hard using her power was becoming to her as her whole body quivered with effort.

"Miyuki… it's alright… we can search Junpei on our own… knowing he's within the dorm is enough to us… please…" Kumiko said, looking at Miyuki with growing worry.

"I said I am fine… please… I want to be of usef… uh…" Miyuki couldn't finish the phrase as she felt too weak to even stand up and was forced on her knees as her eyesight became blurry and her head started to hurt, causing Personomicon to vanish.

Immediately, everyone rushed to her. Unfortunately, her momentary incapacity at scanning the surrounding area caused her to not notice a shadow approaching.

The rest of the group braced itself for battle, but before the creature had the chance to attack, its head was stabbed by a spear appearing from nowhere. After a few seconds of pain, the shadow dissolved itself, revealing a familiar-looking red-haired teenager behind him; the youth was wielding a sharp-looking cross-shaped spear and his face was filled with determination until the shadow wasn't done disappearing; after that, he rested the spear on his shoulder and sighed.

"Y…Yukimura??" Everyone was astonished to see him in a battle asset. Kumiko wondered if this had something to do with the letter Rei sent to him… maybe he was scouting him on purpose, as a Persona-user?

"Good… looks like I got here in time… so THIS is the research you're doing on a certain time-space phenomenon… talk about extreme and unorthodox!" Yukimura said while arching an eyebrow.

"Yes, well… it's a long story… but we'll have more time for that… right now, we must rescue a friend who's somewhere in this building!" Konata said, for once without her usual perkiness.

Then, noticing Miyuki's condition, the newcomer sunk on her knees. "W…what happened to you?! You weren't assaulted by those things, right?!" he then glanced at Athrun, who put both hands on his chest and frantically shook his head.

Miyuki smiled weakly. "…you're such a worrier… I'm fine… I'm just a little tired after using my power too much, that's all…"

Kumiko crossed her arms with a sigh. "Well, you're done analyzing outside for today… this time, you're coming inside with us." The pink-haired girl wanted to protest, but Kumiko smiled at her, decisive. "I told you, we'll handle it anyway. You've done enough already, so don't worry."

Then, the group leader described the strategy they would have used: as herself, Konata, Athrun and the twins searched inside the dorm, Shinn and Miyuki would have taken over the control room to hasten the process. "Um… I'm sorry but I didn't foresee your presence here, Yukimura-Kun… think you be on watch duty no problem?"

"Sure, whatever." Yukimura shrugged. "If any other bugger appears, I'll make sure to kick their sorry ass!"

"Good. If something happens, we'll contact each other via transceiver." She said.

With that, they all got inside the dorm as Yukimura stood there. Not much time elapsed before a few shadows started approaching, sensing the presence of non-Transmogrified people in the area.

"Tch… they're a bit too many to handle with just my spear… time to try that little gizmo, I guess." Yukimura grimaced as he took out the joystick-shaped Evoker and tried to remember the words on Rei's note: _"Open up your mind, take control of it and focus…" wonder if it's related to this… guess I got nothing to lose… beside … well… all of it? _

Closing his eyes, he grabbed the object and concentrated. After a few instants, he felt something building up inside him as a name came in his mind.

"I'm leaving it to you…NOBUSHIGE!!" He yelled as he pressed the button on the joystick.

As crystals of blue energy separated from Yukimura's body, they took the shape of some sort of ancient samurai warrior wearing a red armor and an ancient-looking helmet.

The samurai spoke with a deep and solemn voice: _"I am Nobushige, the blade that guards you. As we share the same fate, I shall accompany you through the ordeals of life."_

After uttering these words, Nobushige wielded his powerful-looking spear, spun it around and slashed the entire bunch of shadows, obliterated them. Once the big cloud of dust dissolved, Yukimura still couldn't believe it… did he really do it? And… Miyuki and the others had the same power? There were still so many questions he needed answers to…

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Being really careful to not make any noise as he slightly opened the command room door, Shinn looked inside: right in front of the main computer, Chairman Shuji Ikutsuki was on the verge of dozing off, his body limp on his chair. Seeing that, Shinn silently cursed as Miyuki grew apprehensive. "Now what are we going to do?" she asked.

Hushing her, he opened the door a little bit more so to get inside, being even more careful about not making any single noise. Then, he tiptoed right behind the Chairman, tapped his right shoulder and as soon as he turned around, he hit the rear of his head hard, causing a hollow thud. Ikutsuki muttered some weird gibberish before collapsing on the floor. Shinn silently apologized at the man and gestured Miyuki to come inside.

"Umm… wasn't that a bit… um… extreme, Asuka-San?" She asked while frowning.

Shinn looked at her and arched an eyebrow. "Cool off, Miyuki! It's not like I killed him… besides, there's something about him I find really annoying… can't exactly explain what… anyway, think you can get rid of him? Hide him in that small room over there…"

Miyuki nodded and started dragging Ikutsuki's limp body inside the small room: it was still rather heavy and it took her quite a physical effort to drag him around. Cursing because she couldn't do it any faster, Shinn sat right in front of the computer and turned it on: as to be expected, it was operative during the Dark Hour and all of the dorm's cameras were connected to it; using that feature, he was able to check all of the rooms at the same time.

"A-ha! Found'im!" Shinn proclaimed while smirking. "The dorm roof! And… just as we thought, there's a girl with him!"

Miyuki, who was done hiding the Chairman in the side room and was catching some breath snapped her head in his direction and clasped her hands. "Y…you did?? Is he alive??"

"…for now. Hurry up and contact the others!"

Placing both hands on her chest, she focused on Personomicon once more so to talk with the rest of the group. "Everyone! We have found Iori-San! He's on the roof… and… there is a young woman with him!"

Kumiko's voice arrived at her ears. "Got it… come on, guys! We're heading to the roof, there's no time to waste."

Miyuki then picked another voice, Athrun's. "Hey, look… I've found Mitsuru's room…"

Then, a loud bang and the group leader talking in a louder voice. "Stay away from that door and move it!"

Meanwhile, Shinn started searching inside the computer; being SEES affiliated to the Kirijo group, their main computer was bound to have many information about the current situation… maybe even information they kept hidden from the members themselves. After tinkering with the big device for a while, he found a series of old records and charts about the Kirijo group's activities in the last ten years, their study about the Persona potential and a few data about shadows met so far.

"Hm? 'Project Nyx – Fall and Rebirth of modern society'…? What's this?" Shinn thought aloud as he found a suspicious-looking file and clicked on it.

Unfortunately, the file was protected and no matter how hard he tried, it appeared his skills weren't enough to break through its multiple protection layers. "Tch… figures… well, it can only mean one thing… this is important, restricted info… I'd better save this and bring it back to the hotel… maybe Kuro-Sensei can help w-"

Shinn's verbalized thoughts were interrupted by Miyuki screaming, which caused him to turn around, ready to take action.

"AAH! ASUKA-SAN!! Look here! There are so many interesting books about human psyche and philosophy… I've even read some of them, they're very good!"

Shinn wanted to say something, but words just didn't come out… instead, he left out a guttural moan as his shoulder collapsed. "Yeah, yeah… it's very nice, Miyuki… but… do I have to remind you we are in the middle of an operation?!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kumiko and the others were right in front of the door leading to the roof, which was partially open. Trying hard to not be seen, she and Konata took a peek outside: Junpei was kneeling down on the floor, his hands tied up as a red-haired girl in a white frilly dress was talking to him. Konata couldn't mistake, that girl was Chidori alright. The small blue-haired girl could feel anger swelling up inside her.

Noticing it, Kumiko grabbed her shoulder and shook it. "Hey… hey! Konata! Keep your emotions under controls, or else the plan will not work… we must keep quiet and wait for the right chance to jump on her…"

"It's no use." Chidori's cold voice caused them all to wince. "I knew you were here all along, so stop hiding and show yourselves."

Cursing, Konata slammed the door open and rushed right into the rooftop, followed by the rest of the group.

The red-haired girl grimaced as she readied her weapon: a fireman hatchet connected to a length of chain. "Hmph… I figured you had something up… you left yourself get caught too easily… you were planning this all along, didn't you, Junpei? After all, that girl over there is a friend of yours, am I mistaken?"

Junpei blinked. No, he didn't think any of that. Kagayaku wasn't there because he contacted them… but most important, why was Chidori doing this?!

"I KNEW you were up to no good…" Konata said, her words filled with poison. "…but not like this…"

Chidori pierced her with her ice-cold eyes. "…what you mean is, you WISHED things to go like this…"

"Ooh? Recurring to mind games, now?" the small Kagayaku girl readied her two-handed sword, serious. "Give it up, Chidori. You might be a member of Strega, but there's just so much you can do when you're alone against five Persona-users."

Junpei jolted as soon as he heard his friend's words. Chidori, a member of Strega? An enemy?! He wouldn't have believed it, he couldn't!

Chidori didn't say a word, which caused Konata to be even angrier. She charged to attack her, but the white-dressed girl pointed her hatched a few inches from Junpei's face. "Maybe you do not grasp the situation you are getting into… I doubt you'd want something to happen to your friend here, right?"

Konata stopped but didn't lower her weapon. Kumiko moved to halt her, when she heard a beeping sound from her transceiver.

"Fukuyama-San! Hurry up and free Iori-San!" Miyuki's voice came to her ear, full of apprehension. "The SEES members are done defeating the shadow and will be here shortly!"

"Already?! Damn…" Kumiko grimaced. Then, an idea started taking shape in her mind as the grimace turned into a smirk. _Wait… we can use the situation at our advantage… _she then whispered to Miyuki: "It's alright, Miyuki… once they arrive, I want Yukimura to bring them here where we are."

"W…what?! But this way they'll know we sneaked inside their dorm?!" The pretty navigator cried.

"I'll take responsibility for that… just trust me and do what I say. Meanwhile, we'll buy enough time for them to come here!"

"A…alright… I'll tell Yukimura-Kun then…" Miyuki shakily said before breaking contact.

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Yet another shadow succumbed by Nobushige's power, which vanished as soon as the creature disappeared. Once the surrounding atmosphere cooled off and shadows finally stopped arriving, an exhausted Yukimura slowly sat down on the floor. The continuous usage of his newborn potential demanded a major strain to his body and now he was completely drained. _Shit… why are they taking so long… and what the fuck was that last order about?! _ He thought as he panted heavily, unable to stand up.

Then, some far away voices caught his hear as a group made of seven teenagers, an elementary schoolboy and a dog approached. Yukimura recognized most of them, since he met them at the new school.

"…Takeda?! What are you doing here?!" Akihiko asked. Of course, he recognized his newest classmate. "Don't tell me you're a Persona-user as well?"

"What I am doing? Heh, nice question… I was waiting for you guys… things got kinda hectic in here, why don't you take a look inside? And… I won't tell you if you don't want me to, but…"

"Now I see… his potential must be just awoken…" Mitsuru thought aloud while crossing her arms. "But what exactly is going on inside?"

Yukimura tried to stand up, no avail. "…why don't you ask your fellow in here?"

Seeing that, Akihiko moved to help him stand up, but Yukari halted him. "Wait… who says he's not one of our enemies?… we still don't know a thing about Strega, he might as well be one of them! I say we shouldn't trust him…"

Yukimura looked at her while blinking. Konata and the others told him about that girl and how troublesome she might be for not trusting people around her. _Guess you can't have a school without at least one girl to call a she-devil?_

"…Easy…" Shinjiro said while kneeling down next to Yukimura. "…look at the pin he's wearing on his chest… I'm sure I've seen Kumi and her comrades wearing the same pin… isn't that right, Aki?"

The silver-haired young boxer thought for a few seconds… then he remembered. Yes, Kagayaku members wore spark-shaped pins, akin to the armband SEES members wore.

Fuuka's words confirmed his thoughts "Yes, he's no liar… I can clearly sense the rest of the group inside the dorm… most of them are on the roof while the others are in the command room."

"Looks like you've got some explaining to do…" Mitsuru said, not sure about trusting the newcomer or not.

"I think so… but right now, your friend is in trouble… if you want explanation, wait till later, 'kay?"

Ken blinked. "Friend… you mean Junpei-San? Did something happen to him?"

Yukimura nodded. "Look, we can stay here chatting the whole night or hurry up and save the guy!" he tried standing up once again. "Crap… no good, I can't move… hey, big guy… you seem strong enough… help me stand up, will ya?" he said to Shinjiro.

The tall teenager in the red coat smiled slightly. "… I see you still have enough energy to act bossy, hm? I might as well leave you here." Still, despite his harsh words, Shinjiro bent down and helped him walk.

Yukimura smiled back. For some reason, he felt like this guy was pretty similar to him himself… maybe he was the one Kumiko and the others were talking about? Still, he seemed different, more interesting…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chidori could feel something happening far, far away as she unconsciously faced the direction she felt the event occurring, the Paulownia Mall. Then, she faced Junpei, still keeping herself in-between him and the members of Kagayaku. "…it seems they have completed their mission…"

"You can't tell…?" Athrun asked.

The girl nodded. "…I can see everything through Medea – my friend's eyes."

Everyone present were surprised in hearing that. That could only mean one thing: the girl possessed a power akin to Miyuki's and Fuuka's. Still, that could explain how she was able to spot them.

"But that's not important…" Chidori walked closer to Junpei. "Why didn't you call off the mission? Is it worth your life? I thought dying was what people feared most…"

Junpei avoided her gaze and looked at the floor. "Um, actually I never gave anyone orders before… and even if I did, no one would listen anyway… I'm… not really the one in charge… quite the opposite…"

The white-dressed girl looked at him, disappointed. "So you lied to me… why? I don't understand…"

Konata's expression softened as she could feel sadness. _You couldn't stand being a nobody… you just wanted someone to think you're special… is that right? Silly thing…_

He lifted his head to look into the cold scarlet pools that were Chidori's eyes. "…hey, just tell me one thing… was everything just an act? Our meeting, your wound, the picture… you did it all just to set me up?"

The small blue-haired girl shook her head, grim. She could see that coming, still, she couldn't help but feel very sorry for her dear friend, it made her heart hurt… _Oh Junpei… if you only realized it earlier… why didn't you listen when I was trying to warn you? Now you're torn apart…_

Junpei looked down again with a grim smile, almost as if he was on the verge of tears. "Now that I think… that cut DID heal up too quickly… now I see how it is… looks like Kona-Chan was right after all…"

Chidori looked away. "No, that was…"

She couldn't finish her sentence, for more people barged through the door: Kenji, Yukari, Mitsuru, Aigis, Ken and Koromaru; the SEES kids were back!

"…looks like we were right to believe in Takeda…" Mitsuru said.

"Junpei?!" Yukari cried, still dumbfounded.

Konata walked to them. All the present people were quite amazed as they looked into her eyes; never the small girl displayed any pure anger. "Ah, you! Where the hell were you when your comrade… no, your FRIEND was in trouble?! Oh, let me guess… probably someone of you might have thought that given his superficial attitude, he probably forgot about the operation, right?! Well, some friends you are! Especially you, Yukari…"

Yukari stepped back: "What… but… but the shadow…"

"You're trying to say that your stupid mission has priority over your team members' well-being?! Don't make me laugh!!"

Yukari tried to talk back but Mitsuru halted her. "Enough, Takeba… Izumi is right… this wouldn't have happened if we were more concerned about him… as much as defeating the shadows is important, it doesn't mean we can't ditch anyone's needs… besides-"

"Ah!! WATCH OUT!!" Tsukasa cried as Chidori pulled out her Evoker.

"What… she's a Persona-user as well?!" Mitsuru asked, bracing herself.

"So it seems…" Kumiko replied, readying her chakrams. "And one related to Strega, for what we know…"

Although outnumbered, Chidori didn't show any kind of fear… rather, she seemed confident about her possible victory over so many enemies. Preparing herself to pull the Evoker's trigger, she closed her eyes with a soothing smile. "Medea, come…"

"OH NO YOU WON'T!!" Konata yelled as she dashed towards Chidori and rammed into her, shoving her to the floor and causing her to drop her Evoker. As the red-haired girl was still stunned, she sat astride on her back, handcuffing her. "Athrun, hurry! Untie Junpei of his rope! Kagami! Pick up her Evoker!"

Kagami, hesitating for a moment, moved to pick op the gun-shaped device, which caused Chidori to struggle even more desperately to free herself. "NO!! MEDEA!! GIVE HER BACK!!"

Meanwhile, Ikutsuki and the rest of SEES and Kagayaku arrived on the scene. Akihiko apologized for being late, but it took them a while to revive the Chairman, which caused the rest of Kagayaku to glance at Shinn, who silently apologized.

"We've heard the whole story from Takeda…" Akihiko said to Kagami as she gave him Chidori's Evoker. "Sorry, but we can't let you have this…" he then said to Chidori, causing her to become more desperate in wanting Medea back.

"Oh, Miyuki-Senpai… were you able to sense her at all? Because I couldn't until this very moment… and this is my only power…" Fuuka asked to Miyuki, frustrated.

Miyuki shook her head. She could only barely sense her presence… and even breaking through her protection was an incredibly hard task, requiring all of her energy.

Meanwhile, Mitsuru and Kumiko approached Chidori, while Konata gave the girl to Aigis, who tied up her hands and held her. "Fukuyama here claimed you are a member of the group known as Strega. Is that correct? I have a number of question to ask you…" then, to Kumiko. "I hope you have nothing against us taking her in custody."

Kumiko sighed and placed both hands on her waist. "…we have no right to oppose ourselves… not after trespassing your headquarters." She said, lowering her head.

"Keep your head up, Fukuyama. I hate to think what would have happened if you didn't… you're precious allies to us… and I hope you'll keep on supporting us… I just hope you we'll no longer need to bend the rules like this…" Mitsuru said, still looking at Chidori.

On her hand, the girl from Strega wouldn't have stopped shaking, her eyes lost in fear. "…I'm not… afraid… of dying…" she whispered, her whole body screaming the exact opposite of her words.

One could easily say Chidori was scared right then. The helpless look in her eyes Junpei to wince… and Shinn too, who, for instance, found her very similar to Stellar. Chidori was probably as scared as she was, just, unlike the cute blonde girl, she always tried to cover it. Nevertheless, both were two frail, emotionally unstable girls who needed help. Shinn hoped Junpei to be able to stand by her side, because he would have definitely done it for Stellar!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A dark room within Kotobuki hotel, right after the Dark Hour passed by.

Rei was typing something on his computer. Right after the rescue operation, he got protected data from Shinn and sensing something off about the whole thing, he immediately started working on bypassing the file's protection.

_It was to be expected they held this kind of information…_

A series of information scrolled on the monitor. Rei frowned as he read all of them incredibly fast.

_Project Nyx… so that's it! This is even worse than I thought…_ _Should I tell them?… hmm… even if I did, it's not like the SEES members will stop taking those shadows down… no, not yet… but soon, before it's too late…_

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!!**

**Konata: **On the next episode of PERUSURI… thrilling events are right behind the corner!

**Tsukasa: **Kumi-Chan… can I ask you a question?

**Kumiko: **Um? Sure, what is it?

**Tsukasa: **What does the date, October 4th, symbolizes to you?

**Kumiko: **October 4th? Nothing specific… why do you ask?

**Tsukasa: **Because that's the next chapter's title!

**Miyuki: **Hmm… I wonder… does any of you know what it means?

**Athrun: **Wow! So there IS something our dearest MiWiki doesn't know!

**Yukimura: **Hey… who said you could call her like that?

**Athrun: **Um… no, nothing…

**Ken: **Did you say… October 4th? That's… the day my mom…

**Kagami: **Ken… are you…?

**Shinn: **I see… so you ARE planning to get revenge…

**Akihiko: **Revenge…? You mean… oh no! Shinji…!!

**Kumiko: **What's that supposed to mean…? What really happened to you, Shinji-Kun?

**Fuuka: **No, Senpai!

**Shinjiro: **Don't feel sad for me, everyone… this is for the best.

**Shinn: **Stop it, you idiot!!

**Aigis: **Shin Megami Tensei: PeruSuri, chapter 7.

**Mitsuru: **"October 4th".

**Kenji: **Please read and review… well, unless you're easily depressed… I mean really, the next chapter is kinda sad! Just like the rest of the fic… so if you're easily depressed, don't read any more!

**Kagami/Yukari: **KENJI ARE YOU NUTS?! YOU WANT TO RUIN US?!?!?

**BLUE VELVET: The Peru*Suri trivia channel: Ep.6**

**Elizabeth: **Welcome back to the Velvet Room for a new episode of Blue Velvet. As you all probably know, my name is Elizabeth and this one is Maxwell, my loyal servant.

**Maxwell: **In flesh, blood… and paint!

**Elizabeth: **Well Maxwell, seems like the fic just got a new entry during this chapter: the fiery-haired Yukimura "Sanada" Takeda.

**Maxwell: **That's right. For those of you wondering, he's an original character Duran the Warrior made for his latest Lucky Star fan fiction: "Worth Every Scrap of Trouble". This is the second character Duran let the authoress borrow for her story…

**Elizabeth: **It appears the two of them were sharing ideas for their own stories as they chatted with something called an instant messenger and Duran asked her to put his character into PeruSuri… so, here he is, ready to battle with his Persona, Nobushige of the Temperance Arcana. And we wish to thank Duran for his availability once again. By the way, Maxwell… do you know what an instant messenger is?

**Maxwell: **Ummmm…. I think…. That's… I mean…. Uh…. Ssssssso, Eliz… what's with us in this episode of Blue Velvet?

**Elizabeth: **…nice way of beating around the bush, Maxwell… anyway… _(Takes some papers)_ We had a few people pointing the fact that Aigis' Persona Arcanum is called Aeon in FES while in the original Persona 3 game it's The Chariot, just like in this fan fiction; to those people, I want to point that the when the authoress, Orochi Shiki, started writing this story, FES was not even releases in Europe where she lives… and so she decided to use the standard P3 canons.

**Maxwell: **Now it makes sense… now, if you remember, we had another interview scheduled for the last episode, but since the chapter was too long, the authoress decided to postpone it to this episode… _(Stands up and slams his hands on the desk) _SO! Here he is! The one and only hero of Persona 3: KENJIIIIIIIII SHUGOOOO!! _(Quickly) _Mostly known among the P3 fandom as Minato Arisato!

**Igor: **Hold on… he's on the verge of falling asleep during classes… once he dozed off, I'll drag him here… aaaaaaaaaaaand NOW! _(Snaps his fingers)_

_**Kenji appears between Elizabeth and Maxwell**_

**Kenji: **_(Yawns and looks around, still groggy) _… oh, Igor! I didn't recognize you at first… you look so different with hair, sunglasses and a small nose! So that's what all those requests were for!

**Maxwell: **Um… I'm not…

**Igor: **_(Clears his voice) _I'm right here…

**Kenji: **??????

**Igor: **Yes, I am Igor…

**Kenji: **……Why are there two of them? _(Tilts his head in an interrogative manner)_

_**Igor, Elizabeth and Maxwell facevault**_

**Maxwell: **Um… A-are you sure about this guy?

**Elizabeth: **Trust him… the master handpicked him personally… there HAS to be a reason… besides, he looks pretty cute!

**Maxwell: **Tch… girls can't be reasonable when they see a pretty face… anyway, on with the questions… what are your feelings about being in PeruSuri?

**Kenji: **_(Dozes off)_

**Maxwell: **_(Angrily slams his sketchbook on the desk) _WELL, WHAT ARE THOSE?!

**Kenji: **Um… how does it feel? Good, I suppose… the new group of Persona-users is full of nice people… by the way… I've been so busy lately I couldn't hang around with Tsukasa-Chan… I hope she's not mad at me…

**Elizabeth: **Some things are better left unknown… _(Rolls eyes)_

**Maxwell: **Next question: according to fans around the world, you're seen as the most badass RPG hero so far, given the fact your max courage level is "badass", you're able to score with multiple girls, possess a virtually infinite potential and can fight death itself… what do you think?

**Kenji: **Personally, I think there are RPG heroes who deserve that title more than I do… I don't think I'm anything special _(Sheepish laugh) _… now, Ness is a badass RPG main character… you know... Ness? The kid with the striped shirt, red cap and psycho powers? You got to be REAL badass to handle such an ultimate enemy in such a young age…

**Maxwell: **Honestly, you can't compare death to an alien mind-rapist, but you've got a point… what if I told you that Mara himself was disturbed by the Earthbound final battle?

**Elizabeth: **THE Mara?! For real??

**Maxwell: **U-huh… _(Draws a remote control with his paintbrush; the remote control becomes material and Maxwell takes it, turning the TV on) _Video!!

**MegaTen Special: I feel…s-c-a-r-e-d…**

An ordinary day in the dimension the Shin Megami Tensei demons dwell (One of the many). Lucifer (Helel in FES) is walking around as he spots Mara: the twisted-looking Sri Lankan demon is curled into a ball, whimpering, which is rare for someone as arrogant and confident as he is.

Perplexed, Lucifer runs into Lilim and asks her what's wrong.

"Oh, it happened two days ago… Mara was into a retro-gaming session, playing an old Nintendo RPG about kids, psycho powers and aliens… and the next thing is him like this."

Unable to believe such a game can disturb MARA, of all demons, Lucifer tries it out on a SNES emulator… after hours and hours of gameplay (Witnessed by Alp and Decarabia as well), he finally reaches the final battle… it doesn't take much for him to be utterly shocked…

A day passes.

Odin passes by Lucifer's bedroom: the fallen angel is lying on his bed in a fetal position while sucking his own thumb.

"Man, how can the country you created make such a THING!" The Trickster asks Izanagi.

The Japanese deity scratches his cheek with an embarrassed smile. "That's what I'd like to know …"

**Elizabeth: **Wow… is that game THAT messed up? Maybe I should make a request about retrieving me that game and see for myself…

**Maxwell: **I advise against it…

**Elizabeth: **Now, on to the next question… it appears that there are many girls you scored with… so tell me… what exactly IS the kind of girl you prefer the most?

**Kenji: **Ummmm… no one, I love all of them!

**Elizabeth: **What's your favourite food?

**Kenji: **I love ramen and gyudon.

**Elizabeth: **Trunks or undies?

**Kenji: **Something halfway between those two.

**Elizabeth: **The weirdest position you had s-

**Maxwell: **_(Hushes her) _Whoa, whoa, whoa! Girl! From the questions you're making it feels like one of those interviews girls read about cool guys you see on TV and such! One'd think you want to date him…

**Elizabeth: **Umm…

**Maxwell: **NOOO, YOU MEAN REALLY?!

**Kenji: **??????

**Elizabeth: **_(Awkward) _Ooh, looks like our time has ran out again! I'll look forward to your next visit! Come, Kenji… you promised me to show me the Shirakawa Boulevard! _(Drags Kenji outside)_

**Kenji: **Huh????

**Maxwell: **_(Stays in the middle of the room, alone and sobs) _……somebody please hold me…


	8. Chapter 7: October 4th

_**CHAPTER 7: October 4th**_

**09/07/09**

With a faint yet quite hearable moan, Yukimura rubbed his chin on his school desk as Miyuki, Kumiko and the Hiiragi twins approached him. As much as it was true that he had the whole Sunday to rest, he still didn't completely recover from the fatigue his first big battle against the shadows had caused. Miyuki looked at him, her eyes filled with concern. "Really, Yuki-Kun… if you're not feeling well, you shouldn't overexert yourself like this…"

The red-haired boy slowly lifted his head while smiling awry. "…you do this all the times, right? As part of your gang, I need to pick up the pace myself, so to help you in your fight! I just need to… well… adjust myself to the new situation."

Kagami sighed, crossing her arms. "Even so… you don't need to overdo it… you won't be able to put up much of a fight if you fall ill and collapse on us…"

"Now, now… Sanada-Kun was amazing the day before yesterday, don't you think?" Tsukasa asked with a friendly smile.

Kumiko nodded. "Yeah… he was really good for his first time… and he held on the ground quite well."

Akihiko approached them, confused; he thought they all were talking about him, but how could they know about the fight he put up the day before yesterday?

Kagami scratched her head, while pouting: "We gotta find a way to fix the matter of having two boys to call 'Sanada'… and quickly."

"Oh, I know!" Tsukasa said, snapping her finger. "Yukimura-Kun will be Sanada 1, while Akihiko-Kun will be Sanada 2!"

The girl's words caused Akihiko to scowl. "Hey… even though it's just to distinguish us, I don't like being labelled as 'number 2'!" he muttered as he left.

After he left, Kumiko couldn't help but chuckle as Kagami puffed, saying "Figures…"

**09/08/09**

"You can't be serious!"

"You wanna bet?!"

"Just try and be reasonable for once!"

"I don't care! I'm going, so you'd better not try and stop me!!"

The two voices, a male and female voice, could be heard a few miles away from the school entrance. Finally, the small blue-haired girl couldn't take it anymore and vigorously grabbed her friend's arm. "Geeze, Junpei-Kun! Why don't you understand that the girl is no good? She's our enemy!"

Junpei turned around to look at Konata. The girl winced as she stared into the boy's eyes, so full of grief. Not knowing what to say, she let his arm go.

"I… I know, Kona-Chan… I know… I know she attacked me… I know Strega is bad… but… but… I don't know why, I just can't stop thinking of her!"

Konata felt as if some invisible hand squeezed her heart tightly. It was as clear as the day, he felt something special for Chidori.

"Sorry, Kona-Chan…" he choked as he dashed toward the hospital, leaving her there.

Sighing, Konata walked toward the hotel, not really feeling like doing anything else, not knowing what to do about Junpei's matter.

She was also reminded of a discussion she had with the rest of her team members about Chidori and how she wasn't glad about Junpei visiting her at the hospital over and over. "You said it's OK for me to go and see Stellar! Why couldn't it be the same with Junpei and that girl?!" Shinn snapped at her. Now she really felt like a hypocrite for saying that stuff about Shinn and Stellar. _Maybe it's just like Kagami said back then… I'm just jealous…? _She mused as she looked at the sky above.

**09/10/09**

"Hey there! How are you feeling today?"

The hospital's door slid open as Shinn entered inside, a broad smile on his face. As to be expected, Stellar was sitting on her bed, looking at him with the sweetest of smiles. And, as to be expected, Shinjiro was there with her too. For once, though, he wasn't much annoyed about that…

As soon as Shinn approached the bed, Stellar literally glomped him, merrily repeating his name over and over. Once she calmed down a little, he gently pushed her back in a sat position and took out something looking like a packed lunch of sorts. "Took me a while to make this, but… here! I hope you're going to like it!"

Stellar blinked and opened the small box: it was a nice-looking bento packed lunch also including rice, nigiri and ebi tempura, all looking well-made and delicious. "Looks… delicious…! Thanks, Shinn." She smiled at him with a slight blush.

Shinn smiled back. Then, he looked at Shinjiro with a superior smirk, as to say "Take this, you blockhead!". Shinjiro simply looked at him for a few seconds, then he shook his head and stood up to leave the room.

"EEH? Leaving already??" The blond girl asked with sad puppy eyes.

The tall teenager sighed. "Hey, it's not like I'm leaving for good… besides, you've got plenty of company here, so don't be sad, OK? I'll be back." With that, he stepped outside, shutting the room's door.

As Shinjiro's footsteps walked farther, Shinn left out a satisfied cackle and sat on the bedside, right next to Stellar, who kept on staring at the bento he made with sad eyes. "Shinn…" she whispered. "…when is Stellar… going to leave this place?"

Shinn looked at her, blinking. She clenched her grip on the bed sheets. "Stellar… doesn't like it here… it's scary…"

Shinn didn't know what to answer at the time. Rei said that her mind and body still needed some time to fully recover and that he wanted the doctors to check on her even more… or… was she just held captive? Could he really trust the professor? Shaking his head, he put both hands on the girl's shoulder. "You will get out of here pretty soon… but first you need to recover your energy! And to do that, you need plenty of rest and food, OK?"

She looked at the bento again. Then her clear eyes went to Shinn. "If Stellar eats a lot… she can leave?"

He scratched the rear of his head as he left out an awkward laugh. "Something like that, I guess! That is, unless you get a stomachache for overeating!"

The girl quietly nodded as she took out her chopsticks, preparing herself to dig into the food Shinn made for her. Then, she felt a chill running down her spine as she dropped the chopsticks and looked outside, her eyes widened by fear. Before Shinn had the chance to ask her what was wrong, she leaped off the bed, opened the room door and dashed right across the hall. The boy had no choice but following her.

After less than a minute, both arrived at Chidori's room's doorway; Stellar was just there, frozen in shock as Shinn finally caught up with her. Before he had the chance to ask what was happened, his eyes were caught by the shocking image of some sort of red, ethereal woman wearing some sort of fleece, who was towering above Chidori, choking her to death! Even the other people in the room –Junpei and the SEES third year students– were standing there in shock.

"What the… is that… a Persona?!" Shinn stuttered, confused about what was happening.

Shinjiro grimaced and stepped right next to Chidori. Immediately, he took some flacon out of his pocket and fed the girl with some pill he took from it. After a few instant, the Persona disappeared and Chidori could once again breathe normally. As Junpei rushed to her, Shinjiro walked away. "It happens… they're not like us… they can't fully control their potential… that's why they need suppressant in order to prevent their Personae from killing them. I'll be sure to give the doc the right pills… the rest is up to you." he explained before leaving.

Shinn couldn't believe his own ears. The members of Strega had an unstable potential which could kill them… and needed drugs to keep it stable… was Stellar just like them? And how did HE know? Did he just come to bring Stellar food… or… ?

The flow of his thoughts was momentarily interrupted by Akihiko pushing him aside while chasing after Shinjiro.

"Chidori!!" Stellar cried as she rushed to her companion, right next to Junpei.

"Thank God… you're OK now…" Junpei whispered, on the verge of tears.

Chidori, still stunned, looked at both of them, confused. "Why are the two of you so scared? Death us nothing to be afraid of…"

Her words caused Stellar to feel even more lost and to cry even louder as she gripped the girl's cloth.

The red-haired girl graced both of them with an emotionless smile. "Dying only means you don't wake up anymore, that's all."

"NOOO!!" The blond girl sobbed as she rocked her head back and forth. Shinn felt as if his heart just cracked; he walked next to her and helped her back in her room as she kept on weeping.

Chidori blinked as she watched Stellar and Shinn walking away, the first still in a clear shock. "Why is she always like this around me?"

"Can't you tell?!" Junpei cried. "You can't really mean what you just said… if you really died… what about people who care about you… what about me?!"

From outside, the Kagayaku junior could still hear Junpei's voice and somehow felt glad about Konata not being there… she wouldn't have liked what he just heard. Then, his eyes went to Stellar, who was clinging at his school uniform, still quite uneasy. He remembered Shinjiro's words about Strega members' potential and once again renewed his decision to stand by her side. _I won't allow you to suffer anymore… I won't let anything to happen to you… I promise!_

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tatsumi Port Island Station square.

The setting sun reflected itself on the surrounding building's windows as people went and came, making the square as bustling as ever. Kumiko and Kagami were both headed to the station in order to go back home. The plastic bags both were carrying hinted they were back from a shopping session… but not the kind of session you'd expect from a girl, no clothes shopping was involved: in fact, the two of them went to buy articles like notebooks, pencils and rubbers. As the two walked together, Kumiko remarked about how she tends to run out of pencils very often because of her so-called side job, which caused Kagami to chuckle. Still, the brunette could feel that her twin-tailed friend's mind was on something else.

"Kumiko-San… what do you think of the current situation?" Kagami asked.

"About what exactly?" Kumiko asked, looking at her.

"I mean… about Chidori-San and Stellar-San… I know Shinn-Kun is doing fine and all, but… Konata-San… I know she doesn't want us to worry, but… I can tell she's upset about Junpei-Kun and Chidori-San… She says she has a bad feeling about the whole thing… I wouldn't want both Shinn-Kun and her to end up heartbroken…"

Kumiko sighed, her eyes unconsciously going to the staircase leading to the back alley. "…even if we worried about it 24/7, what could WE do? That's something only THEY can take care of… and if something should go wrong, we can only be there to support them and cheer them up. At least that's what I think."

Kagami smiled at her. "…I envy you, Kumiko-San… it feels like you can keep cool in every situation."

She shook her head and smiled bitterly. "That's not it… I just don't know how I should REALLY react in front of the whole situation."

With that, both took a few more steps toward the station; it was then that Kumiko noticed two familiar people swiftly walking toward the back alley: Shinjiro and Akihiko. Seeing they both looked upset, the girl stealthily approached in order to overhear (All while Kagami cried about it being impolite and such.)

Akihiko was the one who sounded more upset of the two. "I've heard about those pills… but the side effects… don't tell me you…?!"

Shinjiro didn't reply, while Kumiko wondered about what pills they were talking about.

The silver-haired one raised his voice: "Answer me!!"

"I don't owe you anything." The shifty teenager said, not looking at his friend.

Akihiko grimaced. "Tch. The same as always…"

Finally, a reaction from the tall, coated one, who, for once, seemed a little upset. "Save it! I have already heard that." with that, he swayed his gaze once again. "You think I'm wasting my power, but you're just too thick-headed… I'm tired of all of your preaching!"

What came next was utterly unexpected: Akihiko punched Shinjiro, right in the face! Even the two girls were quite dumbfounded by it. A few second elapsed as the tall one rubbed his mouth.

"Don't you get it?!" Akihiko spat. "You know the reason… ten years ago… my sister… the fire… I couldn't do anything to help her… they held me back while she was…"

Kagami stepped backward. Her mind went back to the time she was stuck inside Tartarus with him as they tried to rescue Fuuka; he told her about someone he deeply cared for dying and his incapacity to do anything to help her… but she could have never guessed it was his sister… not when he was just a child…

"That's why I'm trying so hard… remember? We promised to become strong enough to prevent anything like that from happening again…" the boxer said, his voice getting softer. "So… why the drugs? Why didn't you ever talk to me?"

_Is the reason he couldn't talk to anyone about it… this?! Shinji-Kun… on drugs?! _Kumiko shakily thought as her hand clenched her shirt right on her chest.

"I'm back in the fight, so let it go." Shinjiro said as he turned around to walk away.

Akihiko sighed. "…What about the side effects?"

"That's something I must take care of… you don't worry about me. Just do what you think is right… same goes for Kumi, of course."

Akihiko looked away while frowning: "Does Fukuyama know about…?"

Shinjiro shook his head. "I doubt she has realized anything yet… and I want things to stay the way they are… that's also for her sake… she'd be off better without knowing."

With that he walked away as Akihiko stood there and sighed. While all of this, the two girls stood speechless, the news they both heard quite shocking for various reasons. Of course, Kagami could tell Kumiko was the most shocked, since she was clenching her chest and biting her lower lip, her face as white as a sheet.

"… I… I never knew… why… what's gotten into you… Shinji…?" she breathed as she tried to collect herself once more yet unable to.

"Kumiko…?" Kagami looked at her friend with growing worry.

"… I'm fine, Kagami…" she weakly said with a concerned smile. "I just felt light-headed for a moment… come, let's go home."

Kagami stood there as Kumiko dashed toward the train station without looking at her. The twin-tailed teenager couldn't help but puff; things were really going out of hand, sentimental-wise…

**09/16/09**

"Can I have your attention please?" A pretty-looking female student with ladle-shaped twin tails, Miho, clapped her hands. After she got the attention from the other students in the classroom, she stood up on her chair, looking self-righteous and serious, placing a fan right at the tip of her chin.

"Now, you all know what this is about: in a few more days we'll have the Culture Festival. And Almost all of the other classes already decided what to pull for it… by far, the most enjoyed project for the festival is the maid café organized by the 2nd year students…" she said, solemnly.

Konata puffed, both hands on her side. "Figures… I guess guys are REALLY looking forward to see Yukari Takebaka wearing a maid suit…"

"Right!!" Miho continued. "This is exactly why we must thing of something SUPERIOR to their idea… something GRAND, something APPEALING! So… what are your proposals?"

Most of the students started proposing stuff to do for the festival; even Konata, who proposed to counter the maid café with a cosplay café.

Then, one of the male students, Tsuyoshi, made this proposal: "What about an idol-like performance? I'm sure other students would appreciate it…"

"You mean like an idol contest?" Kagami asked, unsure.

Tsuyoshi shook his head with a naughty smile. "No, just one single person to come and sing on the stage, that's all!"

Another student, Takuma, asked. "Like hiring an idol like Risette? Won't that be quite hard… and EXPENSIVE?"

"We can have someone who LOOKS like a real pop star to sing like her." He answered. He then glanced at Miyuki with a satisfied smile. "Takara… maybe you don't realize it, but you resemble a lot to that foreigner idol who's pretty hip lately, Lacus Clyne."

Miyuki was dumbfounded and looked at Tsuyoshi with a slight blush as the rest of the classroom agreed with that claim. "Me…? I look like an idol…? But… but I'm not sure about my singing… I don't think I can sing in front of everyone…"

Takuma looked at her and nodded. "Say… aren't you friends with Fukuyama? She's a very good singer… she might help you if you ask her… right Fukuyama?"

Kumiko scratched her cheek and blinked. "Um… I'm not much into this stuff, actually…"

That caused quite an uproar inside the classroom, most of students cried about Kumiko being a spoilsports and such, causing her to reluctantly accept to help out.

Yukimura stepped next to Miyuki, annoyed. "Hey, waitaminit… Miyuki didn't agree to do anything yet! We can't force her into doing this if she doesn't want to!"

The pink-haired girl squeezed his arm. "No, it's alright… everyone seem to really care about this matter… and I want to help as much as I can…"

Kagami shook her head in disbelief. "You know what… the truth is you can never say no, Miyuki… are you even SURE you can do it?"

"I… I can't be sure until I actually try…" Miyuki shyly nodded.

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Athrun casually stepped inside the hotel lobby as he spotted Miyuki and the others and approached. The girl with glasses looked pretty down and tired. The womanizing teenager placed a hand on the back of her chair and smiled. "So… I've heard the rumor… you'll perform as an idol for the Culture Festival, hmm? How goes it?"

Miyuki sighed. "I didn't think it was so hard… I though that as long as I heard her songs and watched her in TV, it would have been fine… but there's no way I can act like that…"

As she heard that, Tsukasa took the CD Miyuki had on her lap and took a look at it: the young woman on the cover sure was similar to Miyuki in many ways, with her graceful appearance, sweet face and long pink hair. Athrun moved to check it himself and was quite surprised. "Ah! It's a small world, isn't it?"

"Do you know Lacus, Athrun-Kun?" Konata asked.

The blue-haired boy laughed sheepishly. "Well… how to put it…? She was… something like… my very first fiancée. Actually, it was something my old man arranged but… that's ancient history."

The girls glanced at each other, not knowing what to say. Just HOW MANY GIRLFRIENDS did he had?

"You know…" Konata said "I noticed something when I watched her performance on TV… she looked a little different from the girl on the record covers… she even wears a different hairpin… it's not just the TV making people look fatter, right? I mean, she IS bigger… in more than one way."

Athrun crossed his arms and nodded.. "You've got a keen eyesight. Yes … that's because that girl you see on TV is actually her double…"

Yukimura pierced him with his stare. "And NATURALLY… lemme guess… she's one of your 'acquaintances' herself, am I right?"

As if his chest was just stricken by an arrow, he winced. Then he left out a nervous cackle. Then, his mind snapped as he came with an idea. He swiftly excused himself as he rushed outside while all the other people present blinked.

Less than one hour elapsed as he went back to the hotel. He wasn't alone this time, a girl was with him: she was a curvy one with long pink hair, wearing some skimpy-looking clothes and a star-shaped hairpin. "Is Miyuki still here?" he asked.

Konata went to meet them. "She's in her room rehearsing with Kumiko." She then noticed the girl with him and turned around her to analyze her under every aspect.

The new girl looked at the small one with a satisfied smile. "Let me guess… you are astonished to see a real, living star in front of your eyes?"

Before she had the chance to reply, Athrun asked her to go fetch Miyuki. After a few minutes, her, Kumiko and Yukimura approached the doorway, where Athrun and the "idol" were.

As soon as the girl with glasses arrived, the new girl examined her features thoroughly as she nodded, causing Miyuki to blink. "Um… are you…?"

The other pink-haired girl nodded with a cheerful smile. "Exactly. My name is Lacus. Lacus Clyne. I'm sure you've heard of me…"

"Oh, we did…" Konata crossed her arms and closed her eyes with a smirk before fingering the girl. "Cept you no Lacus! You can't be: she's smaller than you!"

"Lacus" jolted as she placed both hands on her chest. "Oh no… no, no, no! I AM Lacus!!" she cried.

Athrun put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "Forget it… Konata figured it out already… (In her usual, tactless fashion, I must say…)"

"Lacus" paused for a moment. She then sighed and started to tap her index fingers together. "Alright… I admit… my real name is not Lacus Clyne… it's Meer Campbell… but please, can you call me Lacus anyway?"

"Why?" Miyuki asked. "Your name is quite pretty itself. You don't need to use a different name."

Meer didn't know how to react, but she felt very flattered for once: never she would have expected that someone would have told her real name was actually good… well, aside Athrun.

Athrun put his arm around Meer shoulder with a satisfied smile. "When I heard your dilemma, Miyuki dear, I had the idea… I was lucky when I came to know she was here in this city by my… er, friends at school… so I went see her and… we talked… in the end she agreed to help in these few days."

Yukimura left out a hoarse cackle and cleared his voice. "Yeah… right… you 'TALKED' to her… I think I know what your 'topics' were…"

Athrun turned as red as a tomato as he took Yukimura aside and whispered in his ear. "Look, I have done nothing to her, OK? SHE was the one who wanted to… you know what I'm talking about… which I refused!"

"HAH! Listen here, ASS-run! If ya think I'm gonna believe such a bullshit forget it…

_**Meer Campbell: **__A girl who works as double for the mass idol, Lacus Clyne but who's still different in many ways (Like body-wise and personality-wise). She doesn't like being called with her real named, preferring to be called "Lacus" even when off-stage. She also has a thing for Athrun, even though she's probably the only girl he doesn't want to have anything to do with. Not a bad girl but some of her ways are a little… questionable… _

**09/18/09**

"Wow… it sure is raining hard…" Shinn said as he looked outside the lobby window: a very violent storm was raging outside, the trees bending under the wind, on the verge of breaking in twain. "Guess the media were right… a typhoon WAS on the way…"

"And not just an ordinary typhoon… according to the news, it's the biggest around." Kagami added, upset.

Konata placed both hands behind her head as she leaned on the couch. "Right… you know how exaggerated news bulletins always are… they prolly made the whole matter bigger than it is…"

"I hope Kumi-Chan is alright…" Tsukasa mumbled, placing a finger over her mouth.

Rei shrugged. "I would be more worried about her shrine… looks pretty old… still, should water rise drastically, she has two valuable airbags!"

A silence fell upon the lobby as the professor looked around and sighed. His jokes weren't as effective when Kumiko wasn't around.

"I just feel bad about your school festival being cancelled because of it…" Meer said as she rocked her legs back and forth. "We worked so hard for it… and Miyuki won't get to wear that cute hairpin Yukki provided."

Miyuki took out the pin Meer was talking about: it was a pretty, golden, puzzle piece-shaped hairpin; Yukimura provided her just for the festival, although at first he was against the idea (Also due to the fact Meer wanted her to wear outfits that looked WAY too skimpy…); it was her perseverance in working hard for it that changed his mind. Noticing how she was passing her fingers on the hairpin, Yukimura smiled slightly.

"Yeah, though luck, eh?" Athrun shrugged with a satisfied smile. "I guess you have no other reason to stay in this hotel any longer, Meer…"

Lacus' double leaned toward Athrun, looking at him with a smooth smile. "Ooh? You want me to go away? Are you chasing poor little me away… out… in the cold… and the rain… with the typhoon?"

Shinn nodded while smirking. "Aw, that's too cruel… you have no heart? Ashame!"

"Really…" Yukimura nodded. "To think I have nothing against you flirting with THIS pink-haired curvy girl... how can you be so cold?"

Athrun grumbled and forced Meer in a normal, sitting position.

"Anyway" Konata said. "At least we get to enjoy some forced break from classes… so what if we're stuck indoors? I know plenty of ways to spend time indoors."

"Let me guess… watching anime and playing games… and such?" Kagami asked.

"Straight as an arrow!" The small girl pointed a finger upwards with a pleased smile. "What about you, Kagamin? Don't tell me you'll spend your time studying?"

"Haven't decided yet, actually…" Her friend replied. "But I'm pretty sure I know what Shinn-Kun is going to do… right, Shinn-Kun?"

Shinn nodded. "Oh, Rei-Sensei… about that matter…"

Rei nodded. "I know what you're about to ask… I'm sorry, but we can't release her yet."

He rose up on his feet. "Why?!"

"There are still some… matters… about her body and her potential we need to investigate on… and… don't forget she's actually our prisoner… don't worry, though… I'll make sure she's treated well. I know how much you care about her."

He sat back again, wondering if it had something to do with the unstable potential the Strega members had… and the suppressants. "I only hope it won't take too long… she hates it there…"

Seeing how the mood went down as Shinn talked and how a grim silence filled the lobby, Meer looked around and left out an awkward giggle while looking at Yukimura and Miyuki. "Ah… anyway… I think I know JUST well what Yukki and Miyuki will do…"

Both the red-haired punk-ish boy and the pretty young woman with glasses winced as they heard her voice, blushed and while Miyuki looked away with an embarrassed smile, Yukimura looked at her, opening the mouth to talk as only a stuttering moan came out if it.

The pink-haired singer shrugged. "Oh come on… you're a big, strong boy… asking the girl you like to have some adult fun should be a chinch for someone like you… you should be more outgoing and less timid. Don't worry, big sister Meer gives you her approval!"

The poor boy couldn't take it any longer: his head actually started to steam and the blush he had was so violent his face became one with his hair as he felt light-headed and fainted on the couch, limp. Looking at him, Meer chuckled, remarking about how cute he was right then as Athrun scolded her and Tsukasa tried hard to revive him. Lacus' double then suggested Miyuki to be his Princess Charming and kiss him in order to wake him up, causing her to feel flustered and run upstairs in her room. Konata watched the whole scene and couldn't stop snickering.

**09/22/09**

Being national holiday, everyone decided to take a small break from both studying and Tartarus to have some relax and fun without any care. Everyone but Kagami and Miyuki who, knowing that the midterm exams would have been the first days of October, decided to take advantage of the off day to study a little bit more; Shinn went see Stellar to the hospital after practicing some more cooking with Yukimura's help and was able to make some pretty good omelettes; Athrun was trying hard to avoid Meer, who runned around the hotel pestering him and Konata invited Kumiko over for an anime and gaming marathon.

When the evening came, Tsukasa – who tried hard studying but failed for many reason which caused her distraction –, having known about the movie marathon which would have took place the next day, finally managed to find the heart to call Kenji and ask him to go see the marathon with her. He was way busy with many other girls lately, and she felt something growing inside her as the phone rang; although smiling, the surrounding members of the team could see something dark in her face, which gave them the creeps.

Finally, Kenji's voice came from the other side of the call.

"Um… Hi, Kenji-Kun… it's me… Tsukasa… I was wondering… if you could came see the movie marathon with me tomorrow… if you're not busy, that is…"

Her last sentence has a completely different tune from the rest of the things she said, something that made the others shiver once again. Even Kenji hesitated for a moment before talking again. A few seconds later, the girl resumed to talk on the phone. "So no one in your group is free to come… oh?... Only Shinjiro-Kun?... I see…"

Almost as her ear suddenly grew bigger as she heard her friend's voice, Konata jumped on her, took the cell phone from her hand and told Kenji she wanted to talk with Shinjiro. Then, as he was off, she dashed toward Kumiko – who was sketching – and gave the phone to her. "Come on: do it!"

Kumiko blinked, not really understanding what she meant.

The tiny girl pouted. "Didn't you hear that phone call right now? Shinjiro-Kun is available to go see the movies…"

Finally starting to realize what was transpiring, the dark-haired girl jolted, her cheeks starting to blush.

Konata smiled, satisfied. "Do it! Tell him you want to go with him!"

"W…w-w-w-w-w-wait a second, Konata! I can't do it! It's not like we're actually dating each other… he might misunderstand and think…!!" Kumiko stammered as she grabbed Tsukasa's cell phone, a smile on her face.

Meer looked at her and smirked. "You know… your voice doesn't exactly speaks for your body…"

The scarlet-eyed girl hesitated, being at loss of words. Her "trance" was interrupted when she heard Shinjiro's deep voice on the phone and her heart skipped a beat. At first she left out a shriek as she answered, then she cleared her voice and shakily said: "Shinji-Kun… ah… err… big typhoon the other day, wasn't it? I hope you didn't have any… problem… you know… being on the streets and such… oh right, you live in the dorm now… sorry, my bad… soooooo… " as she looked at Konata, who silently intimated her to tell him. She put the phone away from her face and took a very deep breath. Once she was calm enough to talk, she finally resumed her conversation. "So, uh… you know how there's this movie marathon tomorrow… right? Yes well… I was wondering if… well… always if you're not… say… busy… could you… you know… uh… come and see it… with… with… with m…m… _(No good, I can't say it! My throat is like paralyzed…)_"

"…me?" he asked. "You want ME to come and see the marathon with you? Why…?"

Kumiko winced. What was she going to tell him?! The voice refused to come out as she stood there, completely at loss.

Before she had the chance to find something to say, Shinjiro said: "Hmph… you're weird… you really are a weird girl…"

"Um… you still haven't answered my question…" she replied under her breath.

After a sigh, he said. "Well, it's not like I have anything better to do, so whatever…"

As soon as she heard it, Kumiko raised her thumb toward Konata who replied with a bunny ears pose.

**09/23/09**

"Kumiko, stay still!" Meer said as she helped the girl to get dressed.

"I can't help it! It's way too tight! It hurts…!" She cried.

"Nonsense! It will look great on you once I'm done… JUST… STAY… STILL!"

A few minutes later, as the rest of the group was waiting outside Kumiko's room, the door opened as she appeared in a very tight and skimpy purple dress which was clenched on his body in an almost excessive way.

"Well? Isn't she a beauty?" Meer asked, satisfied.

"I… can't… breathe…" Kumiko choked. The girl clearly had trouble moving around with that dress which almost suffocated her.

Kagami cried. "There's no way she could hold up wearing such a dress! Besides, it's way TOO skimpy!"

Meer shook her head, confident. "Hey, dates are made to wear skimpy clothes! Men love to see womanly flesh coming out of those, you know…"

"It… it's… not… a… date…" Kumiko moaned, the dress preventing her from breathing normally and wobbled in her room once again, followed by Meer. Clearly, she needed to wear something else.

A few minutes later, they came out once again: this time, Kumiko was wearing something cuter and less on the skimpy side: a pretty-looking pale blue sleeveless shirt with a frilly collar, a blue mid-length skirt with side pleats, frilly white socks and her usual ballerina-like shoes.

"Ah, much better!" Kagami nodded.

"Yes, you look so cute, Kumi-Chan!" Tsukasa added.

"He'll fall over for you… go get'im, tigress!" Konata remarked as she winked.

Kumiko blushed once more as she took her purse. "…I think I told you… it's not a date." Then, with a deep breath, she went outside after saying goodbye to her grandmother.

Konata walked on the doorway and looked at her friend walking rapidly toward the street leading to the station. Once she was just a speck fading in the horizon, she put both hands on her sides and graced everyone with a smirk. "Let's follow'em!" she said, causing everyone to be surprised.

"Konata, there are things you simply CAN'T do." Kagami said in a stern tone.

The small girl with long blue hair faced her with a mock-innocent face. "Hey, it's their chance to finally go out together, just the two of them… what if something bad happened to them and ruined the romance of it all? Oooh, I'm just so worried about Kumi-Chan… We must make sure her date goes well!"

Kagami stared in her friend's eyes with an annoyed expression. "Yeah, right… how noble…"

"Well, you could always go and watch movies… I mean, wasn't Tsukasa-San going anyway? You could simply accompany her." Shinn asked, searching for some interesting books on a shelf.

Kagami looked at Tsukasa, who was looking around confused, not really understanding why they were all suddenly talking about her. Seeing that the twins weren't moving, Konata puffed. "Oh well, have it your way. I'm going, no matter what you say!" She declared and grabbed Shinn's arm, dragging him along as he whined about not wanting to come and having to go to the hospital, which caused her to remind him that the hospital was right in the same area the movie theather was.

As they walked outside, Tsukasa looked into Kagami's eyes and pleaded her to follow them, clearly worried about him. "Geeze… uh… what was the theme of the marathon again?"

"Oh, right. I think today's marathon is about pets and other animals-related movies." Miyuki said. "Some of them are pretty intense and touching, so I've heard… I have to admit I am a little curious."

Yukimura looked at her, unsure, then cleared his voice. "Well… umm… I'm mostly into samurai and American movies, but… oh, darn… what's wrong in watching something else for a change?"

Meer clasped her hands together merrily. "It's settled then! Let's go!"

Kagami stepped in front of her, stretching her arms onward. "Um… you shouldn't come with us, Meer-San! Don't forget that, although you're a double, you still ARE an idol! It would attract too much of attention…"

At first, the idol seemed disappointed of not being able to come; then, she thought about it and could see Kagami had a point. "Oh well, I'll just wait here while… having a good time with Athrun here." She said, causing Athrun to jolt and refuse to do it.

Yukimura took him and both walked farther so to not be heard. "Hey, ASS-run! You should be glad I EVEN allow you to spend your dirty time like this… if it was ANOTHER curvy pink-haired girl, I would have bitten your head off… but it's Meer, so stop whining your ass off about the matter and just enjoy it!"

Before Athrun had the time to talk back to him, Meer literally yanked his arm and dragged him outside while humming cheerfully.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

People kept on pouring inside the movie theater, mostly young couple and children who talked in a lively fashion as they entered. Right at the side of the entrance, a lone, slim and tall figure wearing a red coat was standing, a clear contrast with the end-summer people wearing light clothes. A dark-haired girl slowly approached him and both started talking.

"I still can't believe you accepted to come see the movies with me…" She quietly said.

"Same here… guess you ain't worried about what people'll think about you hangin'around with a dreg, huh…?" He replies in a low, sardonic tune as he avoids her gaze.

Little did the two of them know two teenagers were hiding on the ledge leading toward the station, observing the whole scene. "Oooh, I see… they're acting casual here to play lovey-dovey as they watch the movies… interesting!" The small girl with long blue hair smirked.

Next to her, a younger boy with jet-black hair and vivid scarlet eyes crossed both arms on the railing and puffed, annoyed. "Regardless, it's none of our business… let's just go and leave'em be, Konata! Darn, I have better things to do!"

"No one is forcing you to come along, Shinn…" she sighed as she looked at him.

Shinn smiled and started to walk away, but Konata just held his arm and prevented him from leaving. Soon, they noticed another pack of teenagers approaching: Miyuki, Yukimura and the Hiiragi sisters. When Konata asked Kagami what she was doing there, she pointed they all were there just to watch movies, although the smallest girl didn't believe it at all.

"Sorry to break your bubble, Konata, but… your target is getting out of your sight…" Shinn chuckled as he noticed how Kumiko and Shinjiro just went inside the movie theater. Then, he took advantage of the whole situation to sneak away, but Konata, who rushed downstairs, once again grabbed his arm and dragged him with her, their other friends in their tow.

Once inside, they all took their seats a few rows away from where they spotted the two of them. Konata insisted she wanted to sit next to Miyuki, who was sitting between her and Yukimura. Shinn, who was checking the time on his clock, left out a flustered sigh. "I only hope this is worthwhile."

Hours passed by as a total of three movies played: the first movie was about a mischievous, troublemaker lamb who ran away from home and befriended the forest inhabitants and lived a series of adventures; the other two were about kids and their four-legged friends, with the third being especially moving due to the dog sacrificing his life to save his young master who fell into a raging river. Kumiko felt something blocking her throat and couldn't help but crying a bit as her mind went back to Koromaru. She then looked at Shinjiro, who was watching the whole scene intensly.

"That dog…washed away from the river…" he whispered, water-eyed.

Kumiko wiped her eyes off and blinked with a confused smile. "Shinji-Kun… are you…?"

He passed a hand over his eyes and shook his head. "It…it's nothing… it's really nothing Kumi."

She once again looked at him and smiled as her eyes went back to the big screen.

Even the girl's comrades were pretty moved by the whole scene: Shinn, for one, who sunk his face in his tissue as he bawled like a baby. Kagami, who watched the whole scene trying hard to not cry, was patting Tsukasa's head, since she couldn't stop weeping. Her eyes then went to Konata, who was watching next to herself. "Aren't you watching? It's a really touching flick."

"Oh? Ah… yeah, yeah… pretty nice… but I have a better show right next to me." Konata whispered.

In fact, next to her, a teary-eyed Miyuki was busy cleaning the misted lens of her glasses as she remarked about how intense the bound of real friendship is. Yukimura, next to her, nodded and, at first watery-eyed, he closed and rubbed them while sighing.

"Oooh? Sanada-Kun… are you by chance…moved?" Konata asked with a kitty-like smile.

"…I just have something stuck in my eye…" he replied; his voice sounded quivering for some reason, which caused the girl's smile to broaden.

Then, finally, the marathon was over. Kumiko and Shinjiro both came out of the theater, both looking awkward.

"I'm sorry, Shinji-Kun… I usually don't cry that way when I watch movies… but the final part of that last movie was just too much." Kumiko said with an embarrassed chuckle.

"Can't really blame ya… it WAS sad…especially for those who love their pets, I s'pose…" he replied as he pulled his beanie over his eyes.

The girl looked at him and chuckled. "But you sure surprised me… I didn't think you were the kind of guy who gets moved by that kind of movies… I guess you can't really judge a book by its cover."

He placed a finger right in front of her face. "…Don't you try and bring it up with anyone, or else..."

"Here's another surprise" she looked at him with a smirk. "Mr. 'I-don't-give-a-shit-about-what-you-think' is worried about his tough guy reputation? It doesn't make much sense."

He scratched his head for a moment and grimaced. "…touché… but I didn't expect Ms. Goody-Two-Shoes Kumi to use the word 'shit' in the open…"

"Guess we both are full of surprises."

Then, they looked at each other and chuckled. A cackle which went on for a few seconds, until Shinjiro stopped, as if his mind snapped and he suddenly fell silent. Noticing it, Kumiko looked at him and thought back of the conversation she overheard between him and Akihiko a few days earlier. The shell was cracking, one more push and she could have reached him. It was a perfect chance to talk to him. "Say, all this time cooped in that dark theater really got me… how about getting something to eat somewhere?"

He didn't reply. He just seemed like lost in his thought.

"Uh… look, if you don't want to, I don't want to force you…" she stuttered, embarrassed.

He thought for a few more seconds then stared at her, serious. "…I didn't say that."

With that, they both agreed to go get some ramen at Hagakure in the Iwatodai station, since it was on the way home for both of us. As they walked toward the station, Konata and the others silently observed them. "Hagakure, hm? I hope you guys feel like eating ramen for lunch!" the small girl mused.

Shinn blew his own nose after he finally stopped crying. "Huh? You're not done yet?"

"Shinn is right, Konata…" Kagami said. "You trailed them enough… and things are proceeding so smoothly… you don't need to worry any further."

"That reaction he had just now… I have a bad feeling about this…" a low male voice said right behind the group of teenagers caused them all to jump aside. The were all surprised to see it actually was their mentor and supervisor Rei, who was crouched behind them while fixing his glasses with a frown.

Kagami looked at him with narrow eyes. "Um… WHERE did you come from? And what are you doing here?" she asked.

The man shrugged and sighed with a smile. "Oh? I couldn't miss this chance to pry into Kumiko-Kun's private moment…"

His remark made everyone look at him without saying a word while Konata thought he just sounded like Jade from Tales of the Abyss. Ignoring their reaction, he stepped onward, serious. "Shinjiro-Kun's reaction… it felt as if he was feeling guilty for feeling a momentary gladness… I don't like the feel of the whole situation, not one bit."

"Are you saying that it might not end well for Fukuyama-San?" Miyuki asked.

He shook his head. "I'm just saying she need to be ready for anything…"

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The server quickly walked around the tables to deliver the two pork bone ramen bowls, being extra careful to not spill any of the broth on the floor. He reached the table he was supposed to serve and perfectly placed the two bowls on it. Satisfied, Kumiko detached the two chopsticks and started to eat. The soup was perfectly married with the texture of the noodles, which gave a delicious feeling in her mouth. After a few more mouthfuls, she lifted her eyes to look at Shinjiro, who didn't even start to dig in his soup. "Shinji-Kun… I thought you loved ramen they serve in this restaurant… and yet, you haven't even started to eat…"

He kept on staring at his bowl as if he was in some sort of trance, chopsticks in his hand, not saying a word.

She stared at him, thoughtful, then put down her chopsticks. "Is something bothering you? You look like you have something big on your mind…"

Once again, no response. Shinjiro's chopsticks slipped off his hand and fell inside the bowl, snapping the young man's mind out of seemingly absent-minded attitude.

She sighed and looked away, feeling her cheeks blushing. "Um… I don't know of how much help I might be but… if you have something you want to get out of your chest, I'm ready and willing to help… and listen if you want to talk…"

At last he reacted. "Dammit, why won't you just shut the hell up for a change?!" Slamming both hands on the table he got up, causing all the other customers to turn around and look. He felt guilt crushing him inside, but, for an instant, it felt better than the girl trying to dig her way in his privacy.

Kumiko looked at him, dazed as he stared down to her, his eyes burning with uneasiness and anger. "You think I'm an idiot? Think I didn't figure out your real goal? You girls are all the same, actin' all nice and shameless to force those jackass guys to tell you how crappy they feel! Well, my life ain't your fucking business, so stop breathing on my neck once and for all! You, Aki, everyone… Why don't you understand I want to handle things MY own way?! Why won't you just leave me alone?!"

She was speechless. She didn't know him as much as Akihiko, but never she saw him that angry, that upset. "Shinji-Kun… it's because we see you struggling on your own and think… we want to support you so you won't have to handle everything on your own… I mean, isn't that what friends do…?"

He closed his eyes and left out a bitter cackle. "Friends? Tch… that's something only YOU think about us… I never once considered you as a friend… that's just in your head!"

The words he said hurt her more than any attack she suffered in her battle against the shadows. She shut gripped her hands into tiny balls and looked at her. "W…why are you …"

"Because I had of you and your nagging. You and your mania into seeing things that aren't there!" he then looked away. "Besides, how do you expect me to help me getting outta my shit when you can't find a way outta YOUR problems? You just being presumptuous!"

Time felt like stopping or slowing down for a moment as the she felt a throbbing pain in her heart which increased as it raced. After a long hesitation, she got up from her seat and looked at him, tears stinging her eyes. "Heh… yeah… you're right… I can't fix my own mess and I assume I can help others… I'm such a fool… I just thought I could help… sorry… sorry for bugging you… I… won't do it again…"

Finally he looked at her, his gaze softening. He opened his mouth to say something but she apologized once again and ran outside the restaurant. Once she was out, Shinjiro noticed that the other customers left as well, probably for not wanting to get involved in their argument; he rested his head on his hand, biting his lower lip. As much as it hurt him, he couldn't let Kumiko or anyone approach him. _I'm sorry, Kumi! Sorry for telling you all this bullshit! But I can't stand watching you suffer like this for someone like me… you're so pure and good-natured… while my hands are too dirty to even grace someone like you… I don't deserve your affection… or the care of friends… I only deserve hatred for what I did!_

He then felt a dull pain across his body making him hard to breathe. He placed a hand over his mouth and coughed hard for more than a minute. Once the coughing and the pain finally gave him some break, he gasped and looked at his hand: it was smeared with some red, which caused him to smile grimly. _Soon… everything will be over soon…_

As for Konata and the others, they approached the restaurant right when Kumiko rushed outside, flustered, almost knocking Tsukasa down. Dumbfounded, they glimpsed around to see Shinjiro on a table alone.

"Uh-oh… looks like Kuro-Sensei was right…it didn't turn out well…" Kagami mused

Tsukasa looked at her with sad puppy eyes. "What can we do for Kumi-Chan?"

"Arguments are something normal in a relationship… maybe we should let her be for the time being and see how things turn out… the truth is they both are inexpert when it comes to love matters, they'll find a way for things to work out…" Konata frowned, trailing Kumiko with her eyes.

Shinn and Yukimura both kept their eyes on the lone figure in the restaurant, who seemed like hiding some grief deep inside. The former frowned as he looked at him. _Shinjiro…what are you thinking?!_

**10/04/09**

Things progressed uneventful for the last eleven days. Even Kumiko, who was pretty down for a few days after going out with Shinjiro, was finally starting to be her usual self again, all thanks to the support of Konata and the others.

It was a full moon night, thus all of the Kagayaku members gathered in Rei's room to hear his briefing about that night's operation. Yukimura was especially pumped since it was his first, official mission since joining the group. As always, Rei asked Miyuki to use Personomicon to analyze the whole picture. "I see… there are two shadows by the Iwatodai strip mall… and SEES is already on the move…"

"Two shadows… sounds tricky… should we go help'em?" Yukimura asked.

"No need… they can fetch themselves quite well." Rei said. Then, to the girl with glasses. "Can you sense anything out of the ordinary? Is Strega on the move?"

After a few seconds, she talked as she focused more. "Oh? There's a reading I've never experienced before… but I'm pretty sure it's from a Persona-user…"

Konata punched the palm of her other hand. "Another Persona-user? If it's Strega, I'll show'em no mercy!"

Shinn nodded. "Where does the reading come from?!"

"It's… the stadium… the stadium southwest from the station!" Miyuki proclaimed snapping her eyes open.

Rei nodded. "Very well… we don't know this one is either related to Strega or the project who brought the Dark Hour here… all we can do is check ourselves… What's your opinion as the leader, Kumiko-Kun?"

Kumiko's mind seemed like lying elsewhere; it took a while for the girl to pay attention to Rei's words.

Shinn frowned. "Great, she's still down…"

Rei mused for a moment, concerned, then sighed, both hands on his sides. "I guess it can't be helped… maybe I should tag along for today. Haven't done it in a while…"

As they all started to leave, the professor noticed that the Kagayaku leader seemed thinking of something and asked what was wrong. "I don't know…" she whispered, gripping her blue sweater right on her chest. "I don't understand why… for some reason, my heart won't stop pounding… I have the feeling something terrible is going to happen…"

The professor looked at her with concern, as if he already figured out what was going to happen. "I think I understand… but don't forget you're the team leader, so you must be decisive and quick in your decisions… that's the only way for you to be able to change fate itself."

She looked at him. "…Fate?"

"No… nevermind… we'd better get going now, there's not much time…" he said as he exited the room. Kumiko didn't know how to react. Was he trying to cheer her up or to make her feel even more uneasy?

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As the nine people reached the stadium, they could clearly see a lone figure in the middle of the arena: a short, brown-haired teenager wearing black clothes, his violet eyes staring at the moon as if he was waiting for something… or someone. Feeling the newcomers' presence close to him, he turned around to face them: his was a mild-looking, calm face. "So you came… looks like I was right… about you."

Athrun's heart skipped a beat when he saw the person and heard his young and sweet-sounding voice. "…Kira?"

The young man in black looked at him with an awkward expression as he took a step toward him. "…Athrun."

"Friend of yours, Zala-San?" Miyuki asked while cupping her chin.

The blue-haired young man smiled at them. "Yeah. He's the one I was looking for before joining the team. Man, I half given up hope about finding him, since I haven't found any clue all these months!" he then addressed to the boy, Kira. "But tell me, what are you doing in a place like this?"

Kira stood silent for a few seconds before talking. "…I needed to meet you all. So I figured you would have spotted me if I were in an unusual place during the Dark Hour and all. There's someone in your group whose Persona can detect other life forms, right?"

"You know about the Dark Hour and Personae??" Tsukasa asked, surprised.

Athrun nodded. "So you ARE a Persona-user as well… this is turning just great! Now listen, Kira… I'd like to-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Kira took out a sword and put himself in a battle stance. He then looked toward Rei. "You are the one who assembled this group, right? Do you have a purpose for being here?"

Rei stared at the black-dressed youth for a while, then he crossed his arms and said: "I assume you are suspicious of my intentions? Mind you, I am nothing more than a supervisor."

He shook his head. Then, he said to the rest of the group: "You know about it, don't you… about SEES and the Kirijo Group… the one supervising the whole SEES project is a loony scientist who used to work for the group until the incident that triggered this situation. He's been researching on the 'potential' for quite a while… using kids for his own account like tools… or even worse, samples. And now he's doing it again with SEES. Of course, the kids don't know anything about the whole matter, for Ikutsuki keeps it all hidden from them."

Kira's words made everyone except Rei wince. A new, shocking piece of information was coming to light… one that could possibly shed some light on Strega and why there were info about the Kirijo Group in their database… but could this boy really be right about Ikutsuki using the SEES kids as tools or, even worse, samples? And now, he was implying that Rei could be the same… true, the man was a professor who knew pretty much about many things they all ignored and often seemed like hiding something about him on purpose… but was that enough to label him as a bad guy?

Rei chuckled. "…I see your point, boy. I really do. But think about it: what would I gain by tricking kids into doing as my bidding? True, I might interfere with the order of things in this world but it's not like I have an actual obligation to."

Kumiko looked at him, blinking. _Rei-Sensei?! You're talking as if what happens in this world is actually irrelevant to you… it's almost as if you… DIDN'T BELONG in this world! Just… WHO are you?!_

"Now I see… this man, he too is from another world… like us…" Shinn whispered to Athrun. "I know it sounds crazy, but that possibility explains how he's strangely knowledgeable about many things people of this world ignore!"

Rei continued. This time, his face turned very serious. "…besides, I didn't force anyone to join in a group I created: these kids here created the group on their own; I only agreed to help because one of them works under me."

Kira's eyes became more determined as he took something out of his black jacket: an Evoker. "If that's so, their resolution must be strong enough to fight any opponent… I really don't want to do it but there's no other way… let me see if they're determined enough to see it all through the end… if they don't, then this group is just a bunch of pawns whose resolution isn't enough to save themselves, let alone the whole world."

With that, he grabbed the gun with both hands and placed the tip to his right temple. Then, he shot as blue energy gathered around him, taking the shape of a big, mainly white and blue mech similar to Shinn and Athrun's Personae.

Shinn suddenly paled and grew tense as he looked at it. "That…that machine… it's… Freedom… but then, this boy… he is…"

"…what's wrong, Shinn-Kun?" Yukimura asked as he readied his cross-shaped lance.

The younger male Kagayaku member's body was quivering violently, his eyes concealed by his jet black hair. Tsukasa tried to place a hand on his shoulder but a strong source of energy went through her body. "You… it was you… my parents…! And Mayu!"

The girls and Yukimura were at lost, not really understanding what was happening right now. Then, Kumiko remembered the conversation she had with Shinn at Yakushima about him losing his family because of a war and wanting revenge.

He then lifted his head and rushed towards Kira with a primal scream, his weapon tightly in his hands. He was so quick that no one of the girls was able to stop him. He moved to stab Kira, stopping as Athrun stepped right in front of him.

"Move aside!! I… I'm gonna…!!!" Shinn wailed.

Athrun shook his head. "Sorry to disappoint you, but… please, let me handle it…" he then faced Kira as the rest of the group had to work really hard to restrain a wild Shinn. "That's quite enough! The situation is different this time: there's no reason for us to fight!"

"There is a reason… compared to me, the hardship you will face are much worse… I'm nothing compared… if you can't even fight me with all of your might, you have no chance." a new source of energy seemed like gushing out of Kira's body; when the young man lifted his head to look at them, they could see his eyes having no light or expression, as if he were in some sort of trance. "…Now show me… show me you have what it takes to erase the Dark Hour and save the world…!"

Athrun looked at him, amazed. One thing was sure to him: Kira wasn't playing around, not if he was ALSO using his original potential… and he was real deadly when it did; he knew it so well. After focusing for a while, he took out his gun and Evoker and then rushed to him, his eyes devoid of any expression too. When Kumiko tried to stop him, he told her to let him be, because it was their problem.

With that, he shot a few times with his gun, but his bullet simply stopped a few inches away from Kira's body, falling on the ground after floating midair for a while. Taking advantage of the situation, the brown-haired one moved onward to slash at Athrun, which promptly dodged.

Miyuki gasped as she examined the battle through Personomicon's eyes. "It can't possibly be real! That boy… his Persona's data are simply insane!"

Kumiko, who was helping Rei to tranquilize Shinn, asked: "What do you mean 'insane?"

"W…well, he seems to have some sort of hyper mode… plus, he's strong against all the kind of elemental skills… and physical attacks are completely nullified by some sort of barrier!"

"What the… that cheating bastard!!" Yukimura cried, next to her.

Rei shook his head. "Can't be helped, I guess… he's a Coordinator with superior skills… and yes, he's a cheating bastard alright."

"Coordinator? What is a Coordinator, Sensei?" Kagami asked, confused.

The professor nodded. "Genetically superior humans possessing a special ability called… the SEED mode… but I think we have someone here who knows it better than any of us…"

Shinn, who was finally a little calmer, looked at him with growing worry. "Kuro-Sensei, I'm not…!"

"Don't worry, kid… you're among friends who possess a special power themselves… they won't think ill or discriminate you… they never did so far, there's no point in worrying."

Their conversation was interrupted by Tsukasa pointing at the battle. The two young men stopped fighting hand-to-hand and their duel became some sort of mental fight of Persona versus Persona. The two robotic beings locked themselves into clash, then jumped back and started using their skills one against the other. Athrun's Saviour could somehow manage to breach through his opponent's defenses with his special skills, but Kira's Freedom had superior abilities and the damage amount the latter received was quite inferior to the one he delivered to the former.

Kira swung his sword at his friend and rival. "What is it? We have fought plenty of times already, I know you're capable of much more… please, stop holding back."

Athrun knew he had to gamble it all. He once again summoned his Persona and send it to attack Kira with his most powerful physical skill. Kira saw it and he, too, summoned his to counterattack. The two ethereal humanoids clashed one last time, causing a small explosion of light.

When the dazzling light faded away, it was all frozen; Freedom and Saviour towering above their users, the former's blade stabbing the latter's chest, the tip appearing from the back. A few seconds of silence followed. Then the red mechanic Persona started to literally pulverize, its fragments flying away as sand in the wind, until it completely disappeared. Athrun didn't even had the chance to react to what was happening as his mind blacked out and he collapses limp on the stadium's floor, his eyes glassy and dilated. Concerned, the other Kagayaku members rushed to him as they all feared the worst while Kira's Persona vanished and his eyes become normal, human again. They all felt relieved after Miyuki, checking Athrun's body, sighed in relief and said: "His heart is still beating. He's just unconscious, fortunately… but… for some reason, I can no longer sense his potential at all."

They all turned around to Kira, who was putting away his Evoker, a mix of sadness and determination on his face. "Of course, never once I intended to assassinate Athrun… regardless of all, he's still my close childhood friend."

"You think I'm gonna buy that?!" Shinn spat.

Yukimura places a hand on his shoulder. "Kira… isn't it? What happened to him? You've got some explaining to do, pretty boy."

He nodded and looked at Athrun, who almost looked asleep. "That skill I just used… it's a skill only I –or rather, my Persona– possess… a skill named Canceller: as its name states, it ERASES a Persona-user's potential… of course, it's far from perfect: for one, I can't use it on those whose willpower is too strong…" his eyes softened. "But… I would have never guessed it would have erased HIS potential… maybe his will to fight wasn't strong enough in the end."

Kumiko shook his head. "I don't understand… why are you doing this?"

Kira lifted his head to look at the moon. "This world is plagued by a terrible crisis… and events will only grow worse and worse as time passes by… and yet, Persona-users waste their time splitting themselves into different factions, each one working its own way… SEES, the pawns of the Kirijo Group; Strega, who work to preserve the Dark Hour and will do whatever it takes… and then you… You can be able to do something… but that's only possible if you're mentally strong enough to handle this whole situation and take care of the differences splitting these groups… and in order to be like that, you must act and think on your own, without anyone forcing you to follow their ideas… fighting one another won't achieve anything, that's for sure."

Rei shrugged. "In other words you've been acting as an observer all this time… well, sorry but like I said, the group was formed by these kids' own will. But you're right… something's fishy about the Kirijo Group's activities… and we just want to see the truth behind their cloak of lies."

Shinn spat on the ground. "'Fighting one another won't achieve anything' … that's pretty weird coming from you since you just attacked us!"

Kira shook his head, saddened. "I know… but there was no other way… but believe me when I tell you this: I want the Dark Hour to disappear as much as you do… I won't allow it to keep on causing suffering… I just want to prevent it to cause more victims… for both the Lost and persona-users."

After saying those words, Kira started to leave while Shinn, held back by Kumiko, tried to go after him, telling him to come back there. Meanwhile, Tsukasa, being reminded of SEES' operation, asked Miyuki how it was going; after focusing for a while, the girl with glasses said. "Oh, looks like the shadows were both defeated already!" she then tilted her head in an interrogative way. "Strange though… looks like SEES has been splitting itself for this mission… it's not like anyone is concealing his or her presence either, but there's no trace of Strega around… and the shadows both appeared in Iwatodai… so what are they doing in a completely different location?"

Konata looked at her and crossed her arms. "Hmmm… what do you mean, they split?"

The navigator put a finger on her mouth, uncertain. "Well… I could clearly sense all of the SEES members leaving the Iwatodai station area… but for some reason, I just sensed Amada-Kun and Aragaki-San around the Port Island station…"

As he heard her words, Kira stopped on his tracks, his eyes widening in shock. Immediately he rushed closer to the group. "A, are you sure?! Shinjiro and that little boy?!" he asked, all jumpy.

Miyuki blinked. "Um… yes, that's what I just sensed… but there's no Strega member around this time, I double-checked… are you by chance an acquaintance of Aragaki-San?"

Instead of answering his question, he placed a hand over his mouth, his eyes filled with fear. "Oh no… how could I forget it?! Today is October 4th… That fool is going to…!!" he chocked before running off, fretful.

Kira's words caused Kumiko to feel the same uneasiness she felt before, but much, much stronger, her heart aching and racing madly. It couldn't be a good omen! "Hey, wait! What are you talking about?! What about Shinji-Kun?!" She asked to the running teenager. Seeing that he was way too far by now, her eyes went to Rei, who was picking up Athrun from the ground.

"Everyone, you should follow him. Something big is cooking and I don't like its smell at all. As for Athrun, don't worry about him. I'll make sure to bring him to the hospital." He said, more serious than usual.

The five girls and Yukimura nodded and rushed after Kira. Shinn was still uncertain and unwilling to cooperate with his family's murder… but soon, he didn't want to be left behind and after crying: "HEY! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE YOU GUYS!!", he ran after them. Rei silently trailed them all as his expression grew sadder and sadder.

_Kumiko… fate has set itself in motion… will you be able to change it… or will it refuse to be changed?…regardless of fate's decision, you must be very strong…_

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The back alley behind Port Island Station was covered by darkness and silence. The only light around was the moon's pale green glare. Alone in the alley, a single figure stood: a small child carrying a spear which was simply too big for him: wearing a Gekkoukan High School jacket over his orange hoody and the SEES armband on his left arm, his serious eyes looked around as if he was waiting for something… or someone… _Mom… it's time… you'll see… and don't worry, it will be over soon…_ the little boy, Ken, thought.

A new figure approached him: a tall teenager with a red coat and a dark beanie; he too, was wearing the same armband the child wore. The child recognized him immediately: Shinjiro Aragaki… how could he forget?

"You came… I didn't expect you to abandon the operation…" Ken said.

Shinjiro didn't answer.

"You know why I asked you to meet here? Two years ago, this very same day… October 4th… my mother died here… they reported it as an accident, but I know the truth…!" with that he readied his spear. "…YOU're the one who murdered her!"

Seeing that Shinjiro wasn't saying a word, he continued while looking at the ground. "Ever since that day, it was one bad thing after another… and people only gave me sympathy… what's the point of living that way…? I even considered killing myself but that's not the way… Mom wouldn't have wanted it… that's why I knew… I knew I had to find her real killer –you–!" he then looked at him, his eyes sparkling with hatred. "I've heard you wanted to forget what happened…when I knew it was a full moon today, I knew I had to confront you…! Tonight, Mom is watching over me! I'll make you remember what happened back then! I'm definitely going to kill you!!"

With that, Ken put himself in a battle stance, the tip of his spear a few inches away from Shinjiro's face. The punk-looking teenager didn't flinch.

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"Wait! WAIT, I say! How about explaining stuff for a change!!" Kagami huffed as she ran after Kira alongside the rest of the group. The black-dressed teenager was running madly towards the railroad bridge leading to Port Island Station.

"How could I be so foolish?!" Kira whimpered as he kept on running. "Letting myself carry away with the fight and forgetting about today… if it's too late, I'll never forgive myself…!!"

"Hey!" Yukimura finally caught up with him. "Save the sappy existential drama for later… can you explain what the hell is going on here?!"

"Yeah… what's so special about Shinjiro-Kun and October 4th?" Konata asked, running incredibly fast for one having legs that short.

Kira choked, without slowing down. "So he DID never tell anyone about it…!" he then paused for a moment, closed his eyes and reopened, still looking at the road ahead. "October 4th… is the day that boy's mother… Ken Amada's mother was killed…"

Shinn arrived to a realization. "Wait a minute… by the stuff the kid said I could figure out his mother was murdered… wait, you don't mean…?!"

The young man in black nodded. "…two years ago, SEES, who back then was composed by only three members, was after a stray shadow which escaped in a residential area… it was then that…" he choked for a moment before continuing, squeezing his eyes shut. "Shinjiro-San's Persona went out of control and even killed one person… as you can easily guess, the boy's mother…!"

Kumiko's eyes widened in shock as the pieces in her mind finally started to be put together: Shinjiro's sudden change, his disappearance in the last two years and the reason he kept her and everyone at distance. Then it hit her. "Wait… if Shinji-Kun and Ken-Kun are there… it means…!"

"I'm afraid so, Kumiko…" Shinn grimaced. "I could read it in the kid's eyes: he only thinks about revenge…" _I did think Ken was like me… looks like I was ultimately right… and that stupid Shinjiro… what is he thinking?!_

The girl in blue felt a chill running down her spine as the pain in her thumping heart increased more and more. Immediately she accelerated her pace, dashing over Kira and the rest of the group, running as fast as she could. _Shinji-Kun… was this your intention when you rejoined SEES?! The way you talked to me back then… was it because you knew what was going to happen?! Please, don't do this to me, Shinji-Kun…!!_

"Wow, she sure is fast!! How are we going to catch up with her?!" Tsukasa cried since she was having a hard time running as she was.

As they kept on running, Miyuki was trying to focus on Personomicon. Yukimura had to hold her hand to let her keep up the pace. The girl suddenly gasped.

"What's wrong, Yuki-Chan?! Are you exhausted?!" The red-haired boy asked.

She looked at him, wide-eyed. "I… I sensed another Persona-user in the same area Aragaki-San and Amada-San are!… it…it's not a member of SEES… it's an aura… of pure evil…!!"

Kira frowned. "Shoot! I'm afraid Strega is anticipating us…!" he cursed as he accelerated. "Come on, we need to hurry!"

"Don't order me around you!!" Shinn cried.

"Now it's not the time for that you dolt!" Kagami yelled. "Man, can things get even worse…?!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shinjiro looked at the spear tip a few inches away from his face, his eyes showing no fear whatsoever. He then glanced at the kid and nodded. "Do it."

Ken looked at him, perplexed. He expected at least some resistance.

"I won't stop you." The teenager nodded once again and looked at the horizon. "You're right… I wanted to forget everything… that's why I left the group, quit the school and tried to suppress my power… but nothing could erase the memory of that day… and now here I am, in the last place I want to be in."

Ken didn't say a word, he simply looked at him, still in his battle stance.

"It was all my fault… this is what I deserve… but let me at least give you a warning: if you take my life, you'll end up like me. Just remember that…"

"Is that supposed to change my mind?!" Ken sneered.

He shook his head. "Even if everything you have now is hatred, you'll end up regretting it someday."

"Shut up!" Ken spat "That's a load of crap!!"

"He's correct…" a ghost-like, hissing voice said at Shinjiro's back. Both him and Ken faced in the direction the voice came from: a shirtless, extremely think young man with long platinum hair and very pale skin, wearing only a pair of tattered jeans and a red strip of cloth as a belt greeted them with a cold, piercing stare from his golden eyes. "There is no reason for him to feel regret… Isn't killing those who are themselves killers permissible? After all, that is the nature of revenge…"

Shinjiro grimaced as he looked at the man. Of course he recognized him: it was Takaya, leader of the group of Persona-users known as Strega. He met him a good deal of times.

Takaya continued. "The loss of Chidori and Stellar has posed quite a threat to us… but we can no longer simply ignore your meddling… neither yours, neither that other group's…" he thus took out his revolver, causing the other two to brace themselves. "Fear not… life is nothing but a stepping stone… soon, you shall receive salvation…"

Shinjiro moved in front of Ken, as to protect him. Takaya looked at him and smirked. "You cannot oppose fate… and yours is to die… whether by hand of this child or not…"

The red-coated young man just set his jaw.

The thin man talked again. "You've been taking those pills for quite a while now, haven't you? That means you don't have much longer…"

Ken looked at Shinjiro, his eyes widening in shock. "T…that's bullshit!" The shifty teenager spat.

The half-naked man smirked again. "Listen to your body, you know it to be true."

The child took a step backward, shaking his head. "W…what?! You're going to die… no matter what I do?!" he shook his head more violently as if he tried to deny the truth in front of him. "It's not fair!! All this time! I've been waiting for this!!"

"The cause of death is of no importance…" Takaya replied. "…and besides, the breath of life is faint in you as well, child… after killing him, you were planning to join him, weren't you?"

Shinjiro looked at him in awe. He couldn't believe what he just heard nor he could grasp how such a young child could even take such a delicate matter in consideration.

The newcomer readied his revolver with a smirk. "Since you're both destined to perish… allow me to do the honors… a slight change in timing should not matter much…"

"Go to hell!" Shinjiro spat as he rushed toward him, taking a gun out of his coat. Unfortunately, Takaya was quicker than him and shot him right into his right thigh. The teenager wobbled for a moment, then he knelt down, clutching his injured leg. Ken watched the whole scene as dread took over his small body, preventing him from moving.

Piercing him with his cold golden eyes, Takaya pointed his revolver to Shinjiro's head. "Now… with that little amount of life you have left, answer this: both your group and the other group have one like Chidori, am I right? That is how you were able to locate and destroy the ones we wish to protect… tell me… who is it?"

Shinjiro kept on clenching his leg, both hands pressed on the wound so to stop the bleeding as every thought he had went to the pain. "T…there's… no one…"

"Wait, it's me! That's the only reason they let me join!" Ken cried, taking a step forward. The shifty young man tried to stop him, but Takaya kicked him in his mid-section, causing him to fall on his back, hard. Ken shook his head, on the verge of tears. "It doesn't matter anymore… I will never have my revenge!"

"I see… so you have achieved resolution…" Takaya coldly said as he pointed his revolver at Ken. "How enviable… then, you shall be first… rest peacefully…"

A loud bang covered the silence of the night.

_**Takaya: **__The foreboding leader of the group of Persona-users known as Strega. Everything about this man, from his true reasons to his origins, is crowded in mystery… the only thing known for sure is that he seems like living on a completely different plane than ordinary humans. He sees the Dark Hour as a frontier to explore and doesn't hesitate to kill for his goals… rather, he sees death as some form of ultimate salvation… _

Kumiko, who freshly arrived by the station, was startled as soon as she heard that noise, her heart almost stopping. Although exhausted, she put all of her energies to reach the back alley. As soon as she was there, she stopped on her tracks as shock and dread paralyzed her… just like it did with Ken. Shinjiro was kneeling down right in front of the child, blood streaming from the deep wound on his back, shaping a small pool at his feet. He took the bullet at Ken's place, saving the boy's life.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Takaya said, sounding upset for a change. "Why did you risk your life to save this child?!"

Shinjiro didn't answer, he simply turned around to look at him. More voices calling his name could be heard from the opposite side. The SEES members were all coming that way. Noticing, Takaya took his leave and disappeared in the shadows of the night.

As soon as they all arrived there, Fuuka knelt down next to Shinjiro, trying to support him. The wounded young man lifted his head to look at Ken, whose eyes were lost in shock. "What's with the long face…? Isn't that what you wanted…?" he asked before an excruciating pain caused him to cough. Kumiko too, watched the whole scene, which felt so close yet so far to her… almost unreal, as a big hole of emptiness craved its way in her soul.

"It's alright…" Shinjiro shrugged himself off of Fuuka's grip and smiled at Ken. "Give yourself time… make your anger be your strength… Come on, Ken, you're just a kid… you have your whole life ahead of you… so don't waste it… make it your own… Okay…?" he said as he could feel the strength abandoning his body and his eyesight blurring. Nevertheless, he got up on his feet.

On his hand, Ken wanted to talk, to protest, but couldn't do it; he could only stutter a few words.

Shinjiro's blurred sight went to the speechless Kumiko, causing his smile to soften. He then could see more people coming behind her, her group. Slowly, he walked toward them. Immediately, Miyuki analyzed his wounds, choking when she realized how deep they were and how much blood he was losing. She tried to stop him, telling him he wasn't supposed to stand up, but he simply shrugged her off "…Is Kira here…?" he asked.

Immediately, the mild-looking young man approached him. "I… I'm here!"

The badly wounded young man tilted his head to stare into Kira's eyes, trying hard to focus his blurry eyesight on his face. "There's no turning back…Kira… this is the only chance you've got… you always refused but now… now it's different… the Canceller…!"

Kira nodded as a single teardrop rolled down his right cheek. He then asked everyone to stay back as he took out his Evoker and summoned Freedom once again. The robotic-shaped Persona pointed his blade at Shinjiro and rushed toward him, causing a small explosion of light. What everyone knew next was Freedom stabbing Shinjiro's Persona, Castor. Before the dark-looking Persona started fading, Shinjiro threw a last glance at Ken and smiled through his bloody lips. "Aki… take care of him…"

"I will…" Akihiko shakily answered.

Shinjiro's eyes then went to Kumiko's face one last time as Castor pulverized above his head. "…this is how it should be…" he sighed. He took a few more steps beyond the newcomers, then left out a moan before collapsing on the floor to never stand up again, right under everyone's eyes. A serene smile crossed his face as life abandoned his body.

Ken finally snapped out of his paralysis and collapsed on his floor, sobbing as he pounded the floor over and over, really not knowing what to do with the grief he was bearing as he left out all of his pent up feelings of hatred, anger and sadness in a sharp scream.

As for Kumiko, she sunk on the floor, sitting right next to Shinjiro. Stretching a hand to his peaceful face, she could finally feel tears coming down: shyly at first, they streamed when the girl noticed how cold he felt. He was dead and no amount of prayers would have brought him back. In the end, she could do absolutely nothing to help him. The sensation of loss and emptiness dug an ever-deeper hole in her soul, making her unable to perceive anything else, not even her teammates trying to comfort her. She, too, wanted to scream like Ken did, but the voice refused to come out; even breathing was almost impossible, she could only leave out faint and short sobs.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!!**

**Konata: **Next, on PeruSuri…

**Yukimura: **Crap… I can't believe what happened in this chapter…

**Shinn: **And you're not the only one… poor Kumiko-San… and Ken-Kun…

**Akihiko: **Hey! What about me? I'm hurting too, you know… _(Sniffles)_

**Tsukasa: **Kumi-Chan… you're acting very strange lately…

**Kumiko: **Um… y…yeah, right… _(Embarrassed laugh) _ Ugh…

**Miyuki: **Please… pull yourself together, Fukuyama-San! Acting all punk-like and using colorful language is not the answer!

**Kumiko: **I did… WHAT?!

**Kagami: **Regardless, this tragic occurring will cause some people to have a spiritual growth!

**Junpei: **And as if it wasn't enough, there are midterms to worry about…

**Mitsuru: **All of this while our fight against the shadows finally arrives to an end.

**Fuuka: **Wait… does it mean the next will be the last chapter?

**Kenji: **…BUT! A dark hand threatens to strike down both groups…

**Yukari: **Not just Strega's last stand and a stunt against Kagayaku: a shocking truth will be revealed!

**Ken: **We'll be in serious trouble! And rescuing us will be up to Kagayaku!

**Konata: **_(Impersonating Akihiko)_ Kagamin! Kagamin! Please, save me, Kagamin!!

**Kagami/Akihiko: **H…hey! Stop it!!

**Aigis: **Shin Megami Tensei: PeruSuri, chapter 8.

**Rei: **"Operation P3".

**Athrun: **What's P3 supposed to mean?

**Junpei: **It'll prolly be explained in the next chapter.

**Fuuka: **Be sure to read and review, there will be some interesting twists!

**Shinn: **Just don't flame if you don't like those twists, will ya?! And don't you dare miss the next chapter!

**Junpei: **_(Ala Ganon from Zelda: Faces of Evil) _…Or else you will DIE! 

**BLUE VELVET: The Peru*Suri trivia channel: Ep.7**

**Elizabeth: **Greetings and welcome back to Blue Velvet… I am Elizabeth, the elevator operator within this Velvet Room and this one next to me is Max…well…? _(Looks at Maxwell who's bawling next to her)_ Er… Maxwell?

**Maxwell: ** _(Sobbing with both tears and snot streaming) _I didn't cry when Old Yellow died… I didn't cry when Hinawa died in Mother 3… but I'll cry for this!

**Elizabeth: **Oh, dear… looks like the mood is pretty down for this episode…

**Maxwell: **How could I watch outtakes and other funny stuff in a moment like this?!

**Elizabeth: **_(Pats his shoulder) _Now, now… Maxwell… I have something that will make you a little cheerier for this episode… a special guest. You like special guests, right? Now calm down and HAVE A TISSUE, for crying out loud!

**Maxwell: **_(Leaves out some unintelligible sobbing and nods)_

**Elizabeth: **Kind readers from all around the world, here he is! Don't let his ghostly appearance scare you, for he's THE jerk with the heart of gold… ladies and genteelmen… Directly from the great beyond… MISTEEEEERRRRR SHIIIINJIROOOOO… ARAGAAAAKIIIIIIII!!!

_**A black halo appears between Elizabeth and Maxwell, surrounded by will-of-wisps as a distant howl is heard. After a few seconds, Shinji appears instead of the halo. **_

**Maxwell: **YIPES! Don't do it again! Ugh, ghosts give me the creeps!

**Shinjiro: **What if I'm a ghost? Don't be such a chicken…Hey, what is this place? Oh I see… it's some sort of Hell-evator? (… ACK! I can't believe I just said that… screw Ikutsuki and his lame-ass puns!)

**Elizabeth: **This is the Velvet Room… and yes, it's an elevator. It exists between mind and matter, time and space, life and death.

**Shinjiro: **I don't get it but whatever… what am I doing here?

**Maxwell: **You're on Blue Velvet, the corner about this fic's trivia, outtakes and stuff… we sometimes have special guests… and this chapter's special guest is YOU!

**Elizabeth: **We get to interview you, one of the fans' top favourites. After all, we can say YOU are this chapter's starring.

**Shinjiro: **Some starring… I end up dead… but… one of the top favourites? Me?

**Maxwell: **Of course, you're tough, powerful and way cool! So, how does it feel?

**Shinjiro: **How does it feel? Strange… I can't believe people like someone like me… _(Suspicious) _It's not just yaoi fangirls, right?

**Maxwell: **Of course not! The authoress is no yaoi fangirl and she likes you the most!

**Shinjiro: **Good to know… yaoi fangirls… I don't understand those… cuz I mean, just because you've got a friendly/brotherly relationship with some other guy, you gotta be queer… well they can kiss my ghostly ass! _(On Maxwell's ear) _Can you say "ass" on TV?

**Maxwell: **You can on THIS program.

**Shinjiro: **Ah. OK then.

**Elizabeth: **Aside this… how does it feel being in this fic?

**Shinjiro: **Not half bad, I suppose. I don't know the new characters well… and I guess I'll never know now… but at least I had more "screen time" than in the game. I don't appear much in that one.

**Elizabeth: **_(Under her breath) _You might be surprised…

**Maxwell: **What are your impression about the ones you got to know a little more so far?

**Shinjiro: **Hmm… there's Kira… he'd be a decent kid… if he weren't such a whiner who's sucked in his sappy little war drama, always sulking about how bad fighting is and keeping on fighting regardless. Dammit, shut up! Then we have Shinn, who keeps on thinking I have a thing for that Stellar girl. I'm not in love with her at all. I just want to stand by her because she's like a fish outside her pond. And then there's Kumi…

**Elizabeth: **Oh, her… she's your true love, right?

**Shinjiro: **_(Has a slight blush)_ …hey, don't misunderstand. Kumi is… she's… uh… pretty… what is the opposite of annoying? But it doesn't change facts: girls are nothing but trouble! Just look at the wild cats I have here!

**Maxwell: **You mean Kumiko and Stellar? I see two nice, very well-endowed girls…

**Shinjiro: **Yeah, and they're as troublesome as the come.

**Maxwell: **But still… poor Kumiko… she… you… don't you feel bad about her? The final bit of the chapter was really, really, really heartbreaking… _(Sniffles)_

**Elizabeth: **Talking about the final bit of the chapter, we have an outtake of it here which should lighten the mood just a little.

**Maxwell: **Eliz, you're cruel… how can you show something funny in such a situation?!

**Shinjiro: **Well I want to watch it… who knows, maybe it could make us feel a little better…

**Elizabeth: **Say, I like your line of thought. How about working under me in Maxwell's place? I can reward you.

**Maxwell: **E…ELIZ!!

**Shinjiro: **…I can't draw… I don't think I'd be a good Demon Artist… besides, Max here seems like a good second banana here.

**Elizabeth: **I see… too bad.

_**Elizabeth presses a button in her book while Shinjiro pats a sobbing Maxwell's shoulder. Something appears from a big screen **_

**Chapter 7 Outtake – Persona May Cry**

Kumiko slowly walks over Shinjiro's body and kneels down next to him, gently putting his head on her lap while looking at him. "I've lost my father and grandfather to the Dark Hour… and now you're gone too…" she says as she studies his pale features, almost wishing for life to come back in them. How peaceful he looked.

"I should have saved you…"

She kept on looking at him as she felt tears forming in her eyes.

"I should have been the one to fill your dark soul with LIIIIIGHT!!!" she screams, her voice echoing in the dark alley.

She freezes as she hears someone chuckling at her back. Looking backwards, she sees Konata who's trying really hard stifling a laugh. Rei's there with her too.

"…Knock it off already, will you…"

**Maxwell: **I don't get it… is this supposed to be funny?

**Elizabeth: **It is, if you know the reference.

**Shinjiro: **I know the reference, but I'm even sadder now.

**Elizabeth: **Would you have laughed if the authoress slipped a MegaMan X4 death scene reference in it?

**Maxwell/Shinjiro: **No.

**Elizabeth: **…Anyway, the time at our disposal is running out. I wish to bid farewell to Mr. Aragaki here. Have a nice eternity!

**Shinjiro: **…If anyone wants me I'll be… in the next dimension… or shadow realm, or whatever… _(Disappears)_

**Elizabeth: **I wish to thank you all for coming again. Have fun and please be here for the next instalment of Blue Velvet. Later days!

**Maxwell: **Eliz, I've been wondering… if time doesn't matter in the Velvet Room… why do you keep saying our time runs out?

**Elizabeth: **Maxwell, don't bother with details. Now hurry up and bring your mistress a drama CD. I always wondered what it is…

**Maxwell: **_(Groans) _I'm off.


	9. Chapter 8: Operation P3

_**CHAPTER 8: Operation P3**_

**10/05/09**

The hours following the Dark Hour that night were really hard for Kumiko. As soon as she went back home, she locked herself in her room and threw herself on her bed. Now and then, she played that night's events in her mind over and over and tears would have flowed again. She thought she was helping, but in the end, she was unable to do anything to help at all; her incapacity to do anything good caused her to fail him, just like she felt she did with her father. In the end, she cried herself to sleep.

The next morning, she felt her head incredibly light as her whole body felt like lead. And, although she was under her bed's covers, she felt a strange draft coming from inside it. Still stunned, she turned the beside lamp on and checked her alarm clock with a grimace: 6:30 AM. Feeling absolutely no will to go to school after what happened, she tucked back in her bed and turned aside. Her eyes widened in shock as all of her sleepiness simply faded away: a familiar-looking male teenager with mid-length brown-greenish hair was sleeping right next to her, although she never felt his presence at all. At the same time, the boy woke up, his grey eyes opening from under his forelocks. A long, seemingly never ending minute of silence followed as both looked at each other. Then, the girl jumped outside the bed with a sharp shriek while he got up in a sitting position and looked at her, blankly. Kumiko was speechless: the young person in front of him was the spitting image of Shinjiro (although he wasn't sleeping with his typical beanie)… and she could swear she was alone in her bed and there was nothing out of the ordinary… aside a draft inside her bed… what could it possibly mean?!

He blinked. "Huh? What's with that reaction? I thought YOU brought me here to nurse me back to health…" he then searched for something on the ground at his side. "And lemme tell ya… don't think I'm ungrateful or something, but… isn't that a little excessive? I didn't think you were SO bold, Kumi…"

Kumiko chocked. Not just the look, even the voice was the same! But how could he be there? He was supposed to be dead a few hours earlier! She kept on looking at him, speechless as she finally made a sense to everything. Finally, Shinjiro found his beanie on the ground and dusted it. He stood up and walked toward Kumiko, about to say something but she left out another shriek, keeping an exorcise amulet in front of her.. "Don't come near me, you freaking ghost!"

Shinjiro looked around, confused. "Huh? You still dreaming, girl? I don't see any ghost here… where's the ghost?"

She then pointed at his legs, shakily. Confused, he looked downward; his legs were literally going through the girls' work table. He tested them and stepped in and out of the table, a slight smile crossing his face. "Oh… so this is why I suddenly stopped feeling any pain, either my own or from those freaking bullets…"

She still kept the amulet pointed at him and squeezed her eyes shut. "Please, don't haunt me! Don't bring me to madness! I never meant things to go this way!" she cried.

He chuckled and gestured her to calm down. "Whoa, whoa, whoa… where's your usual quiet attitude? This ain't a horror flick! Why am I supposed to do this to YOU? You have nothing to do with THIS. It was MY decision, OK? As for the result of what happened… I guess that's the way it was supposed to go."

Finally, she calmed down and dropped the amulet. She looked at the ghost of her friend, even more confused. "…jeeze… how can you be so calm about this whole matter?! I mean, you're DEAD, for crying out loud!"

Shinjiro quietly put away his beanie and coat, noticing they were both dirty. _No, I walk through stuff because I'm a psychic and do paranormal mumbo-jumbo._ "Tell me something I don't know…"

"Then WHAT are you doing HERE in MY house, if you don't want to haunt me?!" She asked, standing up.

He shrugged. "No clue… I kinda hoped you could answer that question, miss 'I-am-involved-with-paranormal-and-spiritual-stuff…"

She frowned. "…what do you mean with 'no clue'?!"

"What I just said… I don't remember… I blacked out after Kira used that move on me and started to walk in a completely black space where I heard someone whispering my name… next thing I know is me being so tired I fell asleep… and waking up here with you screaming like a little bitch." He replied, crossing his arms.

Kumiko couldn't believe anything of what was happening. Shinjiro Aragaki, who died a few hours earlier, or rather his ghost, was there in her room, acting as if nothing happened. She wondered if she was still dreaming. Maybe, in a few minutes, she would have woken up and life would have been normal again… well, aside the little problem with shadows and the Dark Hour…

But it was no dream at all… his ghost WAS really there, talking to her nonchalantly. _That's it… I'm definitely going crazy at last… _she thought. Thinking that maybe it was just her suggestion playing jokes, she decided to ignore the whole matter and went in the kitchen without saying any other word to the ghostly teenager in her room. As she walked toward the kitchen, she spotted her grandmother's room closed, hinting she was still asleep. With a sigh of relief, she tiptoed in the kitchen and readied herself a few toasts, looking completely blank.

"Y'know, Kumi… with your kind of lifestyle, you should really cut off greasy food and eat something more energetic." Shinjiro's voice said at her back: he was there, sitting on the floor right next to the table.

Kumiko decided to pretend he wasn't there and simply walked in the living room, the plate with toasts in her hand.

"Oh, fine, be a fat-ass, for what that matters…" he grumbled.

"Ignore the ghost, he'll go away… he can't exist, he'll go away…"

Shinjiro puffed, both hands in his pants' pockets. "That's news to me… I didn't know I didn't exist… OK, answer this… how can I even be HERE if I don't exist?"

The sound of Kumiko's grandmother opening the door of her bedroom caused the girl to jolt as she whispered Shinjiro to follow her in her room before she spotted both. Resigning about madness of it all, she readied her school bag, seeing no point in staying to bed since her sleepiness completely disappeared. "Although it won't be funny at all…seeing what happened to one of the students and all… but this poses a problem… I can't leave you here with my grandmother, you'd scare her to death… and you can't come to school or in town of course…"

"Then what am I supposed to do?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Can't you just make yourself invisible?"

"…do I look like one of those silly TV ghosts? Besides, too much of a pain in the ass…"

"Any better idea, big guy?"

He cupped his chin. Then, an idea came to him. "Oh, I know… I could just rest in your head as long as you're over there…"

She scratched her head. "…I thought you were a ghost, not a Mana Fairy…"

He hushed her with a stern stare. He then closed his eyes and transformed into a small will-of-wisp that flew toward Kumiko and was absorbed in her head._ "Hey… it's more spacious than I thought in here!"_ he said in her mind.

Kumiko didn't reply. The day was crazy enough already, a ghost speaking inside her head wasn't much of a difference. That day to school would have been even harder to handle, she could feel it.

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"I never really liked the guy… always thought he acted too big for my tastes, but… damn him, dying that way… what for?! That idiot…" Shinn angrily muttered, his forearm resting on the school entrance's doorway.

"Admittedly I didn't get to know him very much… he always looked so rough… but he helped both me and Kumi-Chan when we needed help… he didn't deserved this!" Tsukasa said while sniffling, wiping off tears from her eyes.

Miyuki placed a hand on her short-haired friend's shoulder, her eyes filled with compassion. "Hiiragi-San… we need to pull ourselves together. After all, there's someone who's suffering much more than we are…"

A few seconds of silence followed.

"Kumiko-San… she was devastated yesterday… think she'll come to school?" Kagami asked.

"…I don't know…" her sister sadly whispered.

Konata puffed, crossing her arms. "In any case, we can't let ourselves be seen by her like this! We'd only make her feel much more uneasy! We gotta stay close to her and cheer her up."

That was when they noticed Kumiko approaching them. She wasn't holding her usual speedy pace: in fact, she mostly seemed like wobbling towards the school entrance, her eyes completely vacant. Konata moved to greet her, but the girl simply walked inside the school without saying a word.

Shinn shook her head. "Geeze, talk about devastated… poor Kumiko-San looks like a zombie this morning…"

"Can you blame her? Today the school will hold a ceremony for Shinjiro…" Kagami sighed.

Miyuki stood silent for a while. She then wiped her eyes off, fixed her glasses and slowly walked toward the building. "Well… we'd better go ourselves… although it won't be easy for any of us…"

That said, the Kagayaku members walked towards the school… all save for Yukimura, who seemed quite absent-minded. When the girls beckoned him, it took him a while to notice. That worried them, especially Miyuki: she could see a shadow of strong sadness in the young man's eyes. What happened had to shock Yukimura as well.

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The school principal slowly stepped onstage so to start his eulogy. The stage had an altar on it which was ornamented with bunches of many different flowers and candles. At the center there was a picture of Shinjiro, the frame ornamented with a black ribbon.

After clearing his voice, the principal began to speak. "No words can express the sense of loss we all feel because of this terrible tragedy. This young man had a whole life of opportunity ahead… and yet we lost him to violence before he even had the chance to develop all of his potentialities. The blame lies in us educators, for being unable to hear his silent cries of help…" he then sniffled and looked upwards. "Forgive us… forgive us for our negligence…"

As the principal's eulogy continued, both the present SEES and Kagayaku members fell in a grim silence. Miyuki, who was trying hard to not cry, looked at Yukimura; the young man was resting his forehead on his clasped hands, refusing eye contact with anybody else. The pink-haired girl felt her heart sinking as she looked at him. She then looked at her other team and schoolmates: Tsukasa was silently sobbing while Kagami kept her head low; Konata, too, was very silent and serious, a rarity for the small girl. Same could be said for Kumiko, who looked in front of herself with a weary expression. Miyuki also noticed something else… something hidden… although she didn't know what exactly.

Sitting silently behind them were the juniors, both the ones from SEES and Shinn, who was sitting next to Fuuka, his eyes filled with a grim anger and sadness, a contrast with the girl who couldn't stop sniffling.

"Will this speech ever end?" a boy from Kumiko and the other Kagayaku seniors' class, Naoki Nakajima moaned. He then looked toward the juniors behind. "Hey, do you know who this Aragaki guy is? No wait, you're juniors, there's no way you could know… what about you?" he then asked to Konata and the others. "Oh, right… you're in this school since this year, you can't know it either… anyway, can you believe it? Scary, isn't it?"

The senior to his left, Ukyo Sagara, whispered. "I've heard that the guy never came to school… I'm pretty sure he was a no-good punk…"

"Shut up…" Junpei muttered behind him, piercing him with a venom-filled stare.

Naoki looked at him with a mirthless smile. "Geeze, what's your problem?"

The capped junior stood up on his feet. "I said shut up!!"

"Iori, sit down!" Their teacher, a woman named Toriumi scolded him, forcing the lad to sit back. She then sighed. "Great, now I'll never hear the end of it…"

Naoki grimaced at Kumiko who was sitting next to him.. "Juniors these days… as if this speech wasn't annoying enough… seriously, when is this gonna end? I gotta study for my mock-exams!"

Kumiko clenched both fists on her skirt and looked in front of herself, a blind rage in her lightless eyes. "Couldn't you just shut the fuck up for a moment…?!" she hissed in a lower pitch than usual.

Both Ukyo and Naoki backed off, stunned. "Sheesh, not you too?!"

As if she recovered from some sort of trance, Kumiko blinked and placed a hand over her mouth, confused. _W…what did I just do?_

"_Sorry, Kumi… I couldn't help myself…"_ The ghost in her head quietly said.

_Did you do it?!_

"_Look, I know I AM a no-good punk… but not even someone like me deserves such a cold treatment over his death… besides, the guy is an ass so who cares?"_

"_Who cares?!" Listen, just because you're "renting" my head, it doesn't mean you can use my body this way! _

"_I already apologized… why do you always have to be so stubborn?" _

_I'm not- AARGH…! _Kumiko silently moaned as her face turned completely red and she sunk her face in her hands. Tsukasa chocked when she saw her, thinking that Kumiko was really suffering a lot about what happened.

Then, the short violet-haired girl felt someone tapping her left shoulder from behind. It was Yukari. "Excuse me, Senpai… have you by chance seen Akihiko-Senpai today?"

Tsukasa blinked. "Huh? Why you ask?"

She lowered her gaze. "Well, I've only seen him at the dorm before coming here, but I couldn't find him anywhere inside the school so far…"

Kagami cupped her chin. "Hmmm, now that you mention it, he was absent this morning… wonder if he'll show up at all…"

"I see…" Yukari shook her head, concerned. "I wonder if he'll be OK…"

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Around lunchtime, the members of Kagayaku had a brief meeting inside the computer room by Rei's order. It mostly was to anticipate a major meeting occurring in a next future, where the group would have discussed about how to deal with what happened with Athrun losing his potential, the encounter with Kira, Strega's meddling and Ken. No one was particularly eager to discuss about these things, though. Especially Kumiko, who was clearly stressed.

After school, Kagami, who had the classroom cleanup duty that day, stopped a little longer than the others. The sun was already setting when she was done. She stretched, took her school bag and stepped outside. It was then that she noticed someone by the far end of the hall, a familiar silhouette wearing a red vest over his white shirt. _I thought he was absent…_ _what is he doing here? _She mused, her instincts telling her to trail him. And so she did. She silently followed Akihiko right outside the auditorium where the eulogy was held that very same day. Being careful to not make any noise, Kagami peeked inside the auditorium, looking at the silver-haired boy leaping onstage and looking at Shinjiro's picture intensely.

"I had the usual for lunch…" he greeted him with a soft smile. "Ramen taste much better when you're cutting classes… be sure to invite me next time."

Kagami blinked. What was he saying? It didn't make any sense to her. Meanwhile, Akihiko turned his back to the picture: she could see a trace of pent-up feelings in his calm face. "Say something, will ya…? Why are you always like this? You're so stubborn. Try and put yourself in my shoes for a change…" His words caused the girl's heart to skip a beat and she hid behind the half-opened doors, fearing he noticed her and was talking to her.

Instead he looked around and placed both hands on the big altar, his gaze focused on Shinjiro's picture. Realizing he wasn't talking to her, she resumed her peeking.

His voice became grimmer as he spoke to his deceased friend. "You think I'm the stubborn one, huh?… I guess you're right… I was obsessed by power… too obsessed by it… ever since the day I lost Miki, I didn't care about anything else… I thought if I was strong enough, I could have protected anyone…but… but I was wrong… and now you're dead too… I feel such an idiot…"

"…Akihiko-Kun!" Kagami whispered, her heart going to the lonely teenager inside the auditorium. She also felt guilt for calling him a fanatic, not understanding the true reason behind his will to protect people around him and why he was working so hard in training.

After a few seconds, Akihiko hung his head down and started pounding the altar table over and over. The twin-tailed girl gasped as she watched it and this caused her school bag to slip off her grasp and fall on the floor with a loud thud. Hearing that, Akihiko's head rose and snapped in the direction the sound came from. "Who's there?!"

It took her a while, but Kagami shyly popped out from behind the half-closed door, slowy stepping inside the big room, closer and closer to the stage.

"Ah… Hiiragi…" he shakily whispered, looking at her, while she avoided his eyes "Didn't expect to meet you here… what's wrong…?"

Kagami simply looked at him for less than a second before lowering her gaze again, a slight blush covering her cheeks.

"…you saw it all, didn't you? Sorry, it's not like me, I guess…" he left out a hoarse cackle while wiping his eyes.

The girl could feel her eyes watering. "…please, stop it! Stop acting tough when you don't have to! Why don't you--"

He didn't reply. He simply lowered his gaze and clenched his fists into balls. She noticed they were shaking and choked. "I…I'm sorry… I didn't have to say it…"

"No… Hiiragi… you're right… I'm always like this…" his voice became more shaky as he talked, his whole body quivering. "Even then… I knew there's always a good chance of dying in battle… but… I was too focused on fighting to notice anything else! In the end it didn't matter how tough I was… and now, look what happened!"

"…It wasn't your fault…" she softly said with a sad smile.

"It wasn't?!" he choked. Kagami could see tears swelling the silver-haired young man's eyes. "I saw it coming ever since Ken joined the team… I had to expect such a thing… ever since both Ken and Shinji were apart from the main group… but I was so enthralled in fighting those shadows to notice…! So don't go around saying it wasn't my fault…!!"

In the end he couldn't take it anymore and sunk his head, silently sobbing. Kagami felt as if an unknown force brought her to embrace that boy who felt so frail in that very instant. He didn't fight back as she brought her arms around his waist; rather, he slowly did the same as he couldn't stop sobbing and weeping. To her, it felt like time slowed down to the point to almost stop, in a way she never experienced before. The contact with his body, his faint smell, it all felt so good all of the sudden. They stood like that for a few minutes that seemed never-ending.

Once the outburst passed, both sat in the first row of seats, one next to the other, silently. He held his head down, staring at his gripped hands on his lap, his eyes red and burnished. She softly looked at him, resting her cheek on her hand. She then chuckled and looked towards the windows to her left. "You know… I have to admit I half expected you would have done such a thing… cutting classes and then coming here to pay lonely respects rather than attending that eulogy."

"…Kagami…" he weakly whispered. "Why… why are you fighting this battle?"

The girl's heart jolted: never once he called her by her first name. She blinked and blushed. "Um… I got to be honest… I never stopped and considered that… but… why do you want to know?"

He sighed, still avoiding eye contact with her. "…you just don't seem like the kind of person who'd get involved in such a situation on her own… I mean, it's not like you've nothing to lose: you've got parents, a sister… and dear friends… so why…?"

Kagami passed a hand through her long violet hair and reflected. "You know… you have a point… when I first got involved in the whole situation, I didn't know what to think, honestly… I couldn't see the reason why I had to put up with all of this… why ME of all people… I was confused… and kinda scared…"

She then looked at him, confident. " But then I realized… maybe I DO have a reason to fight… I want to be helpful to Tsukasa, Konata and the others and, if possible, I want to protect them!... maybe it won't be much as a reason, I know… after all, I'm just an ordinary girl… stuff like world salvation is simple too big for me… but at least I won't lose everything."

Finally, he lifted his head to look into her eyes. She did the same, her expression getting more intense. "What happened yesterday made me realize how hard it is when people you love slip away from your grasp and you're helpless to prevent it. But Akihiko-Kun, we're not gods, we can't expect to prevent people from going. All we can do is accepting it and living for their sake as well."

_You're strong, Kagami… _he thought, lowering his head on his lap as well. _Compared to you, I…_ Once again, he felt tears building up in his eyes. Kagami put a hand on his shoulder as he silently wept a little more. Akihiko shook his head and grabbed her hand. "Yeah… I know, Kagami… I won't get anything done if I just sit here and cry… that's what you're trying to say, right?" he then got up from his seat, looking at the picture on the altar. "Shinji… you watch over me with Miki… there's still much I gotta do."

Kagami did the same, smiling. "That's right… Akihiko-Kun. I don't know why we gotta deal all this crazy stuff, but this is not the time to mope around… not if we want to get this over with!"

He nodded. "I know it well, Kagami… I can't keep feeling guilty forever… I'm tired of it!" He then stretched a hand to Kagami, not blushing for once. "I have only one thing to ask you… will you stand by my side?"

She blinked, confused, her cheeks turning red.

"I don't know how to put it, but… your words earlier… even if you were just trying to cheer me up… they really sunk inside me. I think your inner fortitude could be a great inspiration to me. And I too… I want to get to repay you somehow… I hope we can still count on each other."

_Whoa, you sure are nice for a change! _She puffed, still blushing. Then, she sighed, smiled and took his hand. As soon as their hands touched each other, a flash of light appeared, followed by some sort of cracking sound. Following that, a pillar of light followed by shards of power emerged from the young man's body, taking Polydeucus' shape; then, more shards connected to Akihiko's Persona's body and in a small explosion of light, he went through an actual metamorphosis: he became a humanoid who looked like an Ancient Rome emperor, with a small person sitting on a throne by his stomach and a small world globe pierced through his sword. Akihiko looked at him and said the name, Caesar.

Kagami was dumbfounded, since it was the first time she ever saw a Persona appearing in broad daylight… and transforming into another Persona. "W…what is it…?!"

Akihiko, unlike her looked very serene as he looked at his new Persona. "I'm not sure… but I feel so much stronger…"

The girl's eyes went from Caesar to his user, still at loss. _Is this due to him settling his feelings? Did his new-found determination caused this? And… will it happen to me as well?_

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"Ah, Kumiko-Kun… what are you doing here?" Rei asked when the young girl came inside the hotel lobby. "I doubt everyone's spirit is high enough to go to Tartarus today… so, aren't you taking it easy today? Besides, you don't look well enough."

She sighed. "Is everyone here yet…?"

"No… only Athrun's here… he just got out of the hospital and once he arrived here, he locked himself in his room." The professor stepped toward her, his eyes going to the staircase leading up.

"… Can't say I blame him… meeting his long lost friend that way…" She tried not looking at him.

The man crossed his arms. "…What about you? There's something… off… about you, I can tell…"

"…you're wrong…I'm the usual old Kumiko…"

"You're such a bad liar, Kumiko-Kun…" he smirked, placing both hands on her shoulders. "Tell me the truth… something peculiar happened to you and you wanted my honest opinion about it… am I right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have come here when no exploration or operation is on schedule…"

"_He sunk your battleship, Kumi…" _Shinjiro muttered in her mind, annoyed.

_Shut up and come out already… _She mentally said. A small flash of purple light came out of her body as a will-of-wisp came out of her head, taking Shinjiro's shape and landing next to her. Rei looked at the scene but didn't flinch. "Well… got nothing to say?" she sighed again.

Rei quietly fixed his glasses. "I've seen crazier stuff. Ghosts are nothing fancy to me." He chuckled. _What do you know… I guess she couldn't oppose fate after all, but…isn't it quite a twist? _

"So… what do you think I should do about him?" She asked, frustrated.

Before the professor had the time to give the girl an advice, the hotel door opened again as Konata, Tsukasa, Miyuki, Yukimura and Shinn stepped inside. After greeting both Rei and Kumiko, the teenagers froze in astonishment when they noticed Shinjiro's ghost standing there. _Not again… _both Shinjiro and Kumiko thought, looking at them. After about a minute of silence, a series of screams were heard from within the hotel as all present people aside Konata, Shinjiro, Kumiko and Rei quickly hid themselves, terrified.

The ghost gave out an exasperated sigh. "…I told ya you had to tell'em…"

She left out a sardonic chuckle. "Yeah, right… what was I supposed to say? 'Hey, everyone! A deceased friend's ghost followed me home! Can I keep him?'?"

He scratched his cheek: "…you have a point…"

Konata smiled, looking at her companions slowly coming out of their hideouts. She then looked at Shinjiro, playful. "So… how does it feels being a ghost, huh?"

"You're not scared, Kona-Chan?" Kumiko asked.

"Should I?" she replied, confident. "It's just a ghost, what harm could he do? This isn't a horror flick or a Project Zero game!"

"But… but how could it happen…?!" Tsukasa asked, still frightened

It took her a while, but once everyone was out of their hideouts, Kumiko explained how she found Shinjiro's ghost in her room and not believing it herself at first. She also added he followed her at school that morning.

"Hmm… maybe Aragaki-San needs to support someone dear to him who still lives in order to go to Heaven… he needs to do it to redeem himself… and maybe it's Fukuyama because, although he denies, she's dear to him." Miyuki pondered, searching for confirms in Yukimura's eyes, but feeling discouraged when she saw his eyes still sad and distant.

Tsukasa clasped her hands together with a pleased smile. "How sweet… it reminds me of one of those manga I've seen at Kona-Chan's place!"

Konata nodded. "You mean Kirara? True, but in his case he never travelled through time to stand by her… and there's another small thing: to be more similar to Kirara, Shinjiro-Kun should go around wearing no clothes!" with that she leapt on the ghost and moved to take off his clothes as he struggled to push her away.

Yukimura, who never talked the whole day, finally broke his silence, causing both Konata and Shinjiro to freeze, while she half-removed his shirt under a way embarrassed Kumiko's eyes. "…Still… I'm truly sorry about what happened… if we managed to prevent it all, you'd still be alive… and not just a ghost…"

Miyuki looked at him again, concerned, but he avoided her gaze as he did the rest of the day. Shinjiro looked at both and arrived to a realization. Meanwhile, the hotel door opened again and Kagami walked in. Just like the others before her, she freaked out about the ghost and hid herself. And once again, Kumiko had to explain herself about what happened. _OK, now this is getting ridiculous… _Kumiko and Shinjiro both thought.

"By the by, Kagamin… why are you so late? Did you happen to meet a certain, unfortunate, heartbroken boy and cheered him up?" The small, blue-haired girl snickered.

"Konata!" Kagami spat, annoyed at first. Then, her eyes and voice softened. "Well, yes… I happened to meet with San… I mean, with Akihiko-Kun… so I cheered him up and we talked…and… well…" she couldn't finish her sentence without interrupting and blushing.

Konata remarked she was sure about Kagami liking the guy, while Shinjiro himself was at loss. "Aki… talking to a girl? I have known him since over ten years… He barely ever talked to girls aside his sister Miki… Jeez, and here I though…" He mused aloud, dumbfounded in his usual, quiet way.

His remark caused everyone but Yukimura and Shinn to chuckle a little. The first had been down since that morning, while Shinn seemed more than annoyed by the ghost's presence for some reason. Then, his attention was caught by his cell phone ringing. Immediately, Shinn answered the call.

"Hello? Oh, it's you, Fuuka… huh? What's wrong? You sound so upset!" he then nodded a few times and listened. "Uh-huh… HUH?! Are you sure?!... Ah, I see… Of course, I'll ask her right away!" with that, he momentarily covered his phone with his free hand and talked to Kumiko. "Kumiko-San… it's about Ken-Kun… she wants to know if you happened to see him around your place today."

She tilted her head in an interrogative way. "Huh? No… why you ask?"

The black-haired boy gestured he would have explained later and resumed his phone conversation. "No, she hasn't seen him, sorry… yes… yes… yeah, I know! Well, alright… I'll let you know immediately when I know something… don't worry… OK, bye." With a sigh, he ended the conversation.

"Shinn-Kun… what about Ken-Kun? What's happening?" Kagami asked, concerned.

He sat on the couch, exasperated. "Ken-Kun… Fuuka told me he ran away from the dorm… and no one of the SEES members knows his whereabout…"

"Are you sure, Shinn?!" Kumiko asked, her body tense.

He snapped his head at her. "Hey! Would I joke in such a situation?!"

The girl in blue sat on the couch, resting her forehead on her clasped hands. She just couldn't believe Ken ran away and now she was overwhelmed by worry.

"I guess it can't be helped…" Rei placed a hand on the hotel's reception desk. "He might be a Persona-user but he IS still a child… there's no way he can sit idly after what happened yesterday… I'm sure he doesn't know what to do with his feelings…"

Shinjiro leaned on the closest wall, squeezing his eyes shut in guilt. "…if it weren't for me… none of this would have ever happened… I only brought pain in that kid's life…"

Both Kumiko and Miyuki wanted to say something to make him feel better, but before they had the chance to, Shinn got up and snapped at him. "Damn straight, It's just like you said! There's no point in denying it, since it's all true… but do you really think acting like an oh so miserable tragic hero would be of any use?! Instead of victimizing you over and over and bitching about things you can't change, shouldn't you try and make up for your mistakes?! You owe it to yourself and to the ones who care about you!!"

Tsukasa shyly approached Shinn, telling him that maybe he was going a little too far, but he firmly stood on what he said. Shinjiro was quite surprised. He didn't expect someone like Shinn to say something like that and admitted he appreciated his sincerity in such a moment.

"Oh, this reminds me…" the jet black-haired teenager snapped his finger. "Stellar doesn't know anything about what happened to you! Someone should go and tell her…" then, feeling everyone's gaze on him. "Oh, no no… count me out… I could never find the heart to go and tell her… she'd suffer too much!"

"But leaving her in the oblivion would be too much!" Kagami cried.

"Oh, I know!" Miyuki pointed a finger up. "There are plenty of literature texts where deceased people appear to living people in their dreams to let them know these kind of events… Aragaki-San, why don't you do such a thing? Or, you might go see her nighttime and tell her."

Shinjiro crossed his arms. "…I'll think about it."

The commotion from downstairs caused Athrun to be curious about it and he took a peek from upstairs. Logically, he too freaked out when he saw Shinjiro's ghost, causing both him and Kumiko to yell "NAAAAAAAAH!!"

**10/06/09**

"Haven't they found Ken-Kun yet?" Kumiko asked, standing up from the lobby couch.

Shinn grimly shook his head. "…No, Kumiko-San…"

Both Miyuki and Tsukasa looked outside the window. It was evening already. Where could the child be?

"It's been one day already… I know Akihiko-Kun said we should let him be today at school, but…" Kagami sighed with worry, prompting Konata to nudge her because she called him by his first name in such a casual way. The twin-tailed girl kept on pushing her away as she kept on nudging her.

"Yeah right… knowing Aki, I'm sure he's been secretly looking for the kid… he's always like this. Still, I think Ken is a clever kid, he should be able to put up with this on his own."

_He will… right…? _Shinjiro thought after uttering those words. Actually, he was concerned. Very concerned. Ken was a kid, it's true, but he managed to stand on his own in the last two years, ever since he accidentally killed his mother. Yet, feeling directly responsible for all of it, he couldn't help but worry. Instinctively, his eyes went on Kumiko as an idea started to take shape in his head.

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Back alley behind the Port Island station.

Ken was silently leaning on a wall next to the pub, alone. One could tell from his face he hadn't slept in a while, his eyes weary and red from crying.

A familiar voice broke the silence of the spot: Akihiko's voice. "You look half dead. Why are you here?"

The little boy looked at the ground, avoiding his elder teammate's gaze. "When Mom died protecting me, no one could figure out the true reason of her death… it's still classified as unexplained accident… that's why I wanted to see the truth with my own eyes… I hoped that would have made her finally rest…" he finally looked at him. "It's the same for him as well, right? They said he died by some violent crime, right?… no one knows the truth… and I'll be left behind again…"

Akihiko plainly stared at him. "The dead are never coming back… you got to accept the fact you're on your own now."

Ken didn't reply, his eyes swelling with more tears. The teenager took some steps away and harshly said: "Look, I'm not here to drag you back. You can just stay here until you die for what I care. But if you do have some fight left in you, come back and stand on your two feet."

With that, Akihiko walked away. A few more second passed before Ken heard a new voice talking to him, this time from the railing above: Kumiko's… although, for some reason, her pitch seemed lower than usual and her speech was kind of different too.

"Same old Aki… always sounding harsh and preaching around as if he was the big one… but he has a point, you know?"

Ken immediately lifted his head and looked at her. It was Kumiko alright, although there was something peculiar in her eyes: they looked more mature and less bright for a reason. The girl jumped off the railing and landed right next to the kid. He turned around and placed his forearm on the wall he was leaning at to not look at her.

She chuckled bitterly and sat on the steps leading to the pub. "Not surprised to see you here… after all, this is where it all began and ended…"

"… is that all you've got to say?" he mumbled. "You should hate me for what happened…"

She shook her head. "… hatred is crap… it consumes you and leaves nothing… what's left to you after you let hatred lead you into getting your revenge? Nothing… aside emptiness and loss for something you're not gonna get back anyway…"

Ken hit the wall, trying hard to prevent tears from falling, but failing. "I know… I knew it all along… just… I kept lying to myself over and over… I was consumed by hatred… and couldn't bear the thought of being alone… and in the end… that's exactly what happened…"

Kumiko looked at him as he pounded the wall a couple times. A pleased smile took form on her face; she then lifted her head to the moon. "But Ken… you mustn't forget his final words, no matter what. 'You have your whole life ahead of you'… regardless of what you were or did in the past, you still have plenty of time to make up… it's too early for you to give up on life…" her eyes grew more intense as she kept on staring at the moon. "I want to believe… he hoped you to realize it when he sacrificed himself… so to not end up like he did…"

"…All this time I did nothing but running away. It's time to stop doing that…" Ken wiped tears off his eyes and finally faced her, more determined. "I made up my mind, Kumiko-San… I want to see it all through the end… for Shinjiro-San too."

Kumiko quietly nodded, her satisfied smile broadening. Then, all of the sudden, a flash of light and a cracking sound came out of Ken's body, transforming into energy shards as his Persona, Nemesis, just like what happened to Akihiko's Persona, transformed into a new creature: his new Persona looked like an orange mechanical being with two large, hourglass-like shoulders with zodiac signs on. The boy called his new Persona Kala Nemi. Both Kumiko and Ken could feel an incredible power coming from him. She could only guess it was due to his newfound determination which caused his new Persona to awaken. Then, after Kala Nemi disappeared, Ken said goodbye to his mother and once again faced the girl, this time with a sweet smile when she told him to hurry back to the dorm. Once Ken was far enough, something jolted inside Kumiko's body, her eyes turned as always and she felt as if she just awakened from a trance, not realizing where she was or what she was doing there. Even her voice was the same as always. "Shinji-Kun… don't tell me you…" she awkwardly stuttered.

"…_let's just say I wanted to take care of some unfinished matter. I hope it's OK to you…" _Shinjiro replied inside her head.

The girl wanted to protest, but couldn't figure out where to start at all. Before she even had the chance to say something, she left out a helpless sigh.

"_Anyhoo, we'd better get going… things tend to get rough around here when it's evening…" _

"Um…. I… I guess so…" She mumbled, still confused and dazzled.

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"Ah, Kumi-Chan! Where did you go? You suddenly disappeared." Tsukasa greeted her friend as she entered the hotel and Shinjiro materialized next to her.

"Well… why don't you ask HIM?" she annoyingly cued at the ghost as he acted perfectly normal.

Konata stepped next to them, Kagami in her tow. "Well, that explains many things… your sudden pitch change, your gestures… the strangely colorful language you used…" she remarked.

Kumiko angrily looked at Shinjiro. "Hey, that's how I am… I'm not gonna change my attitude just because of you." He puffed.

"You know, Kumiko… there's no exploration of Tartarus in schedule today neither…" Kagami said. "Miyuki-San seems pretty tired and Kuro-Sensei has left, saying he needed to get something…"

The brunette places both hands at her sides and grimaced. "Knowing him, I'm sure he didn't hint what he was going to get… oh well, there's no use in complaining, I guess… I'll just take it easy for tonight… I'm pretty tired…"

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Midnight (And the Dark Hour) already came to pass as Yukimura simply stood in the hall of the floor his room went, his eyes blankly looking outside the windows. He had felt his heart heavy ever since the events occurring during October 4th, his head spinning with doubts and uncertainness. He wanted to go downstairs, where the girls' rooms were, but there was something holding him.

"Being a night-bird, huh Yuki?" a deep voice said from behind him. Half-heartedly, Yukimura looked at his back to see Shinji's bust coming out of the floor, the rest of the body still on the lower floor ceiling. With no effort, he leapt with his whole body on the floor.

The red-haired teenager once again looked outside. "…Thought you were at Kumiko-San's place…"

"…her idea. She said that a ghost in her house with her grandmother around was a no-no and insisted I stayed here…" he muttered, clearly displeased by her idea. He then looked at him. "But enough with me… what about you? I can say there's something eating you…"

He stood silent for a while, placing a hand on the window glass, his eyes growing more upset. "I… what have I been doing so far…?"

Shinjiro tilted his head.

"When I knew about the whole situation and discovered both me and the others had these special powers, I was a little freaked out at first of course… but then I gotta admit I felt happy… I had the chance to actually fight in order to protect others… to protect… well, those dear to me…" red covered the young man's cheeks as he said the last quote.

Shinjiro didn't reply, he simply set his jaw and clenched his fists. Yukimura's hand on the glass twitched as he kept on talking. "But… but if I couldn't prevent one single person to die in front of my eyes, how the hell am I supposed protect those important to me?!" he then looked at Shinjiro. "…do you think I was wrong in taking up this task? Am I really not up to it?!"

"…are you done whining…?" The shifty-looking ghost puffed. "Man, since when did you become such a pussy?..."

Finally, he turned around to face him, clenching his fists. "Me, a pussy?!"

"That's what I'm saying! You keep whining about something you can do nothing about… just for you to know, this is MY choice, OK? It has nothing to do with you, so stop bitching about it, will ya?!" he then crossed his arm and looked away. "'sides, there's someone else you oughta talk to and, man, that ain't me. After all, SHE's the true reason you joined this team, regardless what you say."

Yukimura's scarlet eyes opened widely. "Y…you can tell?!"

"Anyone could see you dig the pink-haired girl with glasses, so quit beatin' around the bush!" he chuckled. Then, serious: "Look, I'm no expert about romance, nor I wanna be… but I can tell you this: if you don't do let out what you actually feel, you'll only end up regretting it later."

"Shinjiro…" Yukimura knew he was talking because of his personal experiences, having lived his whole life in regret after the tragic incident two years earlier and shunning himself from everybody else, suppressing not just his potential but also his feelings. In the end, he must have felt really lonely.

Shinjiro put a hand on his shoulder. "Yuki… go talk to her. That is, unless you truly are a wimpy pussy."

Yukimura hesitated for a moment. Then, he nodded and immediately rushed downstairs, where Miyuki's room was. He stood right in front of it for about a minute, gathering all his courage in order to get in and talk to her. Once he felt ready, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door twice. The room door opened a bit, enough for Miyuki's head to be visible. She was still wearing her school uniform, hinting she wasn't ready to go to bed yet. "Oh, Yuki-Kun… what is it, can't you sleep?"

He simply scratched the rear of his head.

She lowered her gaze. "Me neither… I have so many thoughts spinning in my head…"

He did the same. "Oh… I see…"

"But, Yuki-Kun… you've been pretty down lately… are you feeling better?"

"…Yeah, a little… sorry for worryin' you…"

Both stood silent for a long, seemingly never-ending minute.

The red-haired young man finally decided to talk after clenching his fists. "Say… Can I talk to you for a moment?"

With a series of metallic sounds, the girl removed the small chain preventing her door to open and let him in. Yukimura looked around and blushed, being his actual first time inside a girl's room. Despite it all, it was a simple room, with no real ornament aside a few flower pots, a series of books on the desk and the bedside table and one of the latest laptop models. Miyuki gestured him to sit on the bed as she took something from the small refrigerator; a bottle of water. She placed it on the bedside table and sat next to him. After pausing a little, she looked at him, smiling. "We haven't been exploring Tartarus in the last two days, so I caught up with my reading a little. So, what do you want to talk about?"

He took a sigh before talking, his eyes finding something worthy on his hands to be examined. "…You know… my parents always tried really hard in teaching me the highest values in life, raising me with a firm sense of what's right and what's wrong… Well, they succeeded in doing so… maybe a little too much…"

She silently looked at him, interested.

"…when I turned 11, I witnessed to something when I was outing: a woman being abused and threatened with a knife by some thugs… I preferred not causing a scene, so I moved onward, ignoring what was happening… but the guilt for what I did was literally crushing me, so I set out to find those jerks and avenge the woman… but when I did, all I could get was being badly beaten up. Fortunately, the woman was ultimately alright…but I was disgusted by my weakness, as silly as it might seem to a kid. That's why I vowed to never ignore such an occurring again… and to become stronger in order to prevent it from never happening. And so I started training myself at Ginji's place, eventually getting on par with him. That's also why, when I knew about your fight to erase the Dark Hour and discovered my Persona ability, I decided to join your team… I hoped I could fight to protect more and more innocent people from falling preys of the shadows…"

The girl filled his glass with water as she listened to his story, quietly giving it to him. He drank it in a single gulp as she looked at him. Despite her quiet appearance, she was quite surprised, since she wouldn't have expected such a story about Yukimura's past.

Once he was done drinking, he gave the glass back to Miyuki and clenched his fists on his lap. "But… after what happened two days ago… well, you could say I was pretty much shocked… I mean, in the end, there was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent that from happening… I couldn't prevent Shinjiro's death or everyone suffering… it made me realize how hard protecting people is…"

She placed a hand on one of his hands. He felt something tingly inside as she touched him. "No one can protect every single person, Yuki-Kun… that's beyond our capacity. We can only protect what we can with all of our might."

He nodded. "You're right… that's why I realized I… I want to fight hard to protect what I can... protect what's important to me…" _Come on, it's now or never… say it! _He mentally encouraged himself as he felt his whole face turning red and his heart started racing. "…Will you… will you allow me to protect you?"

Miyuki gasped as he looked at her. His eyes were directly staring at her, she could read his emotions in them. "I… I couldn't stand being apart from you… that's the reason I came here… the reason I joined the team… I want to stay close to you… always… Miyuki, you're really important to me. I don't know since when, but you are..." then, noticing she was staring at him, amazed, he chuckled and scratched the rear of his head, his face as red as his hair and eyes. "I know, I know… the whole notion of a guy like me who's not afraid of charging into a group of enemies, getting too nervous to say such a thing is ridiculous…"

She blushed and stood speechless for a few seconds. She then tried her best to put some words together. "I… I know… because I, as well…" unable to finish her quote, she squeezed her eyes shut and threw herself on him hugging him, her face as red as his. After feeling awkward for a moment, Yukimura hugged her back.

"Miyuki… I love you…" he whispered.

As soon as he uttered these words, both heard a cracking sound and a flash of light came out of Yukimura's body. As both looked up, they saw Nobushige who, in a flash of light, transformed in an even more-powerful looking samurai warrior in a heavier-looking red armor on some sort of white horse.

"Shin…gen…? His name is… Shingen…" Yukimura serenely said under his breath.

"I can feel it… an overflowing power… much stronger than before…" Miyuki whispered. "Maybe it's due to you overcoming your psychic block, Yuki-Kun?"

"…I think so… I feel like I can overcome everything." He nodded while Shingen disappeared above them. "As long as you're by my side…"

As they hugged and kissed again, Shinjiro, who was standing outside the room, unseen, nodded and moved to leave, stopping when he noticed Rei clapping at the whole situation. "Well aren't you quite a Cupid, little ghost boy?"

The ghost pierced him with his stare, although it proved itself ineffective with the professor. "Don't get me wrong, old man… it just disturbed me to see him act in such a pussy-like way… don't read too much into it. But most important, did you get it?"

The man nodded. "Of course… don't worry, no one noticed me… I'm pretty good at being stealthy, after all. But… about the things I've found… there's plenty we have to discuss about."

The teenager grimaced. "…Figures. Oh well, what do I have to lose in my situation? But if you want to talk about these things, maybe you'd want to wait until midterms are over… got a hunch studying will be hard as it is to them…"

"You're right about that…"

**10/12/09**

With just one day left till the beginning of midterm exams, the Kagayaku members decided to skip Tartarus in order to do some last-minute study for the following day, and spent the night indoor… of course, there were a few who never studied until that day, like Konata, Shinn and Kumiko. Shinjiro took advantage of the night off and asked Kumiko to walk to Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. Of course, both knew that visit time was over already, but that was of little consequence to a ghost. As soon as they arrived in front of the entrance, they made sure no one was around as Shinjiro, coming out of her body, literally floated inside, passing through walls and ceilings to reach Stellar's room. Then he found it. Inside, she was sleeping, looking pretty sad for some reason. He whispered her name and she slowly opened her eyes. "Shinjiro…? You came…" she mumbled, still groggy. He silently nodded.

"You… didn't come lately… why?" she asked.

He looked away. "I needed to get ready… you see, I need to… leave on a journey. That's why I couldn't come lately. I have a big journey ahead… I dropped by to say goodbye."

Her eyes opened widely. "No…!"

He passed a hand through her golden hair. "Don't look so down… it's not like we'll never meet again… besides, even if I'm gone, you're not alone… there's that boy, Shinn, who cares a lot about you… he'll take good care of you, I'm certain…"

Stellar smiled and nodded. "… Shinn…"

"Just promise you'll be a good girl until we see each other again, will you?" he softly asked.

"…Okay…"

With that, he started to leave but she called him again. She graced him with a sweet yet sad smile. "Um… will you stay here… until Stellar… falls asleep…?"

He didn't feel like objecting, so he complied and knelt next to her bad, leaning both forearms on her bed while she slowly closed her eyes. Shinjiro waited a few minutes, until he was sure the girl was asleep, then, with a slight bow, left the room. When he reached Kumiko, she could see a melancholic sadness in his eyes. He once told her how Stellar was like a little sister to him and how similar they both were, but preferred not prying to much since it was not something he liked. And so she decided to leave him alone for the time being.

**10/17/09**

"Aaah, finally! I thought it was never gonna end…" Konata stretched as she returned to the hotel.

"This session was particularly tough…" Tsukasa sighed, looking exhausted. "It doesn't help no one of us was able to concentrate at all…"

Kagami passed a hand through her own hair. _I didn't think I would have been able to study actually…I must thank Akihiko-Kun for lending a hand…_ she thought. Then she looked at both Miyuki and Yukimura who looked tired yet satisfied. In fact, the two of them passed the last days before exams studying together, as they passed most of their time together ever since the incident. They all thought something evolved in their relationship.

A mumbling sound from the couch caught everyone's attention. Following the mumble, a waterfall of brown-greenish hair popped up from the couch back, revealing a groggy Shinji who was rubbing his eyes. "Ah, you're all here… the professor said he had something to talk about once everyone was present… But I got tired to wait so I must have fallen asleep while reading…" with that he hid the cooking magazine he was reading under the couch, hoping no one noticed.

"This'd better be important, these tests gave me a headache…" Kumiko moaned as she rubbed her head. "Thank goodness I'm almost done with them…"

In a matter of minutes, all the teenagers went upstairs in Rei's room and sat down in front of the big monitor. Rei took out a box with a series of items inside. "There are the items Shinjiro asked me to recover from his room… while most of them are cheap items, there also things which had a sentimental value." He said as he dug inside the box and found a well-kept knife inside a small sheath with something carved on the hilt and gave it to Shinjiro.

"Please, don't tell me you called us because of this?!" Shinn mumbled, annoyed.

The professor hushed him as he took a small bottle from inside. "Then I've found this… I trust you 've heard of them, right?"

Kumiko's blood ran cold when she saw it. "Wait… don't tell me those are…"

The man nodded. "These suppressants are a very powerful substance which is able to temporarily suppress a Persona-user's potential… but it has devastating side effects when you take them for a long time… in the end, those drugs destroy the body from the inside and… well, I leave that to your imagination…"

Kumiko's eyes widened in shock. So, it was true after all, he really DID take those. Feeling her eyes on him, Shinjiro left out a hoarse sigh. "Shinji-Kun…why…?"

He graced her with a mirthless smile. "… you can guess why…"

"It is related to Amada-Kun's accident, right?" Miyuki asked, concerned.

_Is there really need for me to answer? _He bitterly thought. "It was because of my lack of control over my power if an innocent bystander died, leaving her child alone… I couldn't stand it… I wanted it to disappear… I didn't care if it killed me… rather, I was glad it did, because I felt like I only deserved death for what I did."

"And THAT's why you kept yourself away from your friends and quit school?!" Shinn angrily asked.

Shinjiro looked at him and paused for a moment."…I just wanted everything to disappear… I wanted to forget it all. I thought that keeping myself away from others I could have erased the memory, but… I never could. It never happened."

"Shinji-Kun…" once again, Kumiko's heart went to him. She was supposed to be angry, but after being involved in the whole thing, she couldn't bring herself to.

"That's also when I met Strega, who were in my very same situation… they would have gave me those suppressants in exchange of intel about the developments by the other groups of Persona-users." He continued.

Kagami stood up. "You mean… you were a spy on their account…?!"

He swayed his gaze from the group. "…'course I ain't proud of what I did… it's not like I wanted to step so low… you must face absolute despair in order to understand how I felt…"

Rei frowned. "That's a grave matter indeed… but we could overlook your being a spy if you decide to cooperate with us and tell us what you can about Strega."

Shinjiro crossed his arms. "I'm not much of into cooperation, usually… but… what the hell, I've got nothing to lose by now."

"Then tell us… what do you know about Strega?" Konata asked.

The ghost frowned. "Not much, actually… I only know they're trying hard to preserve the Dark Hour… that's why they see both SEES and your group as enemies… because you're trying to erase it… nothing will stop them from trying to defeat both groups. They're very dangerous and hard to predict! That's all I know, sorry."

Kagami pouted. "In other words you know almost nothing about it… and here I hoped we could shed some light upon the secrets of Strega…"

"Just tell me one thing…" Shinn asked while frowning. "…how did you get to know Kira?"

Athrun jolted. "K…Kira?! You know him too, Shinjiro?!"

"I happened to meet him a few months ago, around here… he's a whiner and a pussy… normally I'd rather not have anything to do with people like him, cause they're freaking emo but he had a very special power which caught my attention…" he replied, scratching his cheek

Athrun clasped his hands together, remembering his clash with Kira a few days earlier, a clash that caused his potential to vanish.

Shinjiro continued. "Meeting him was a golden opportunity… I could have gotten rid of this power once and for all… but Kira always refused to use that skill on me… he said that my body was too much damaged by those suppressants… and such a skill would have probably killed me… of course, I tried to tell him I didn't give a damn about dying but he just refused to listen… that is, until that day…"

He paused a few seconds to catch some breath. "…yeah… that day… I saw it coming ever since I've heard Ken was joining SEES… I knew what he was planning all along… but I didn't care: I saw it as the real opportunity to settle the score for good. I didn't care about what would have happened to me, my life was over ever since that day two years ago…" he then noticed Kumiko whose body was quivering and she kept her head low. "That's why I said those things… I wanted you to stop thinking about me, suffering about my death… you're a good girl and deserve more than what I can offer… much more… even at the cost of being hated by you."

"You're so stupid…" she hissed, lifting her head to show her watered eyes. "Keep acting like a victim and I'll REALLY hate you… is that what you want?" her cold voice was betrayed by her eyes, so filled with apprehension and affection. His expression softened as well.

After that, Rei declared the meeting closed, deeming they got enough information. As everyone was already left aside Kumiko, Shinjiro and Shinn, the man beckoned Shinji once more, asking him if he could keep the suppressants. When both him and Kumiko asked why, he said he wanted to study their properties and see if he could develop a similar substance which lacked the deadly side effects. Both them and Shinn jolted when they heard it and wondered if it was possible. "You seem to forget I'm a genius… my knowledge should be much more than enough to make perfect suppressants."

"Did you hear that, Shinji-Kun?" Kumiko asked with a soft smile.

He nodded. "Too bad it's too late for me to use it… but…" he then looked at Shinn and back to Rei. "Once the medicine's ready, could you make sure you'll give it to Shinn, so he can let Stellar have it?"

Shinn's eyes sparkled. "Shinjiro…?!"

"That girl might be a Strega member, but it doesn't make her evil… she's nothing more than a victim… just like myself. She doesn't deserve such a crappy life."

Rei's eyes smiled from under his glasses. "I think I understand what you're saying… don't worry, I'll make sure to let Shinn-Kun know when the medicine's ready, so he can give it to her."

Shinjiro looked at Shinn. "Is that OK to you?"

"T…thank you… I'm sure she'll be happy…" a moved Shinn replied, trying hard to prevent tears from falling. He suddenly felt very bad about being a jerk to him. And yet, despite is attitude, he was willing to do him such a big favor.

"You don't need to thank me… I'm not doing it for you…" the ghost said with a slight blush. "I have a question, though… how do you know Kira? It seems like we have many acquaintances in common…"

Shinn's glad expression became a scowl after hearing that question. He turned his back to the ghost and placed a hand on the closest wall. "He… he's my sworn enemy… the one who killed my parents and my little sister Mayu… I'll never ever forgive him!!"

Shinjiro was pretty astonished, since Kira didn't seem like the kind of person who'd kill someone else on purpose. But what left him even more dumbfounded were the boy's eyes: he could see the same glare he used to see in Ken's eyes. "Shinn… haven't you learnt a thing from what happened to me? Didn't what happened teach you that revenge is ultimately pointless?"

"He's right, Shinn-Kun… if you keep up like this you'll be sorry one day… believe me." Rei added.

Their suggestions didn't have the effect they hoped, since Shinn angrily dashed downstairs and locked himself in his room. Once he left, Kumiko stared at Rei, wondering who he exactly was for talking about revenge like that. Secrets about him seemed never-ending.

**10/20/09**

Classes were proceeding normally in class 2-E, as their homeroom teacher, Ekoda, was doing one of his usual lectures. "OK, class… I know you've been busy lately, but that's no reason to neglect homework. Just because there's no literature next year it doesn't mean you can blow off Classic Lit. Hey, are you listening at all?"

As for Shinn, he wasn't listening at all, being somewhere else with his mind. In fact, there were too many things he couldn't stop thinking about: his being beamed in that reality, Kira, what happened to Shinjiro and Rei working on a medicine to help Stellar stabilize her potential. His brain was filled with possibilities, doubts and questions he had no room for anything else… at least, he thought so…

"What's wrong, Fuuka? You seem kinda down lately…" Natsuki's voice whispering to Fuuka arrived at his ears, momentarily bringing him back from his absent-minded state. "You can talk to me… tell me what's bothering you!" the tanned brunette continued.

Fuuka looked at her desk, grim. "…It's about Aragaki-Senpai…"

"Yeah, pretty shocking, huh…? I've never seen him at school, but I've been seeing him around the city… wonder if he really got involved in some crime…"

The short-haired cute girl sadly nodded. "There are things you can never get back… I know by experience… I've been avoiding the question, but… is it OK for me to go on like this?"

Shinn rested his cheek on his hand and grunted. Of course, there was no way Natsuki could know the true reason of Shinjiro's death. Part of him wanted to tell Fuuka about his ghost being with them, but since he begged them to not tell anyone from SEES, he couldn't do it. But still, he couldn't stand seeing Fuuka that down. _Fuuka… were you by chance in love with him? _He wondered.

The argument between the two girls was interrupted by Ekoda calling Natsuki. The tall brunette got up from her desk and walked at the teacher's side. The man told her to say a proper goodbye, causing both Fuuka and Shinn to be confused. Although awkward for a moment, the girl finally spoke up in a half-hearted way. "Um… I haven't been here that long, but I had some good friends here… I'll remember each one of you even after my transfer. Thank you… does it sound good?"

"Transfer…?!" Fuuka choked, standing up

"WHAT?!" Shinn cried, doing the same.

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Later, during lunchtime, both Fuuka and Natsuki went on the school roof to talk about her transfer. Being curious, Shinn silently trailed them to eavesdrop what they had to say.

Natsuki looked at the horizon as wind moved her light brown hair. "You're weird, you know… the biggest bitch in the school is leaving and you feel sorry for her… both you and Shinn."

Fuuka, who was sitting on the bench outside, slowly tilted her head to her. "Why didn't you tell anything?!"

She shrugged. "And make us both depressed? It's not like you can change things!" She then placed both hands on the railing. "You know, dad's pretty sick… it'll take him some time to recover, but we don't really have so much money, so we can't afford to stay here… but you know? I still think you and Shinn are crazy, being friends with someone like me… but I think we're not that different, actually… my parents act as if I didn't exist… when you moved into the dorm I admit I was pretty jealous… cuz I hate living at home."

"Natsuki-Chan…" Fuuka softly whispered.

"I can understand Shinn, though… since he has no parents, he lives on his own… as tough as it is, at least he's free to take his own decisions, but… Fuuka, your house isn't far away and you've got pretty normal parents… why'd you move?"

Fuuka wanted to reply, but something blocked her from inside, she couldn't find the words.

Natsuki looked at her and chuckled. "It's OK if you don't want to talk about it… but if it's something you can work out with your folks, do it as long as you have the chance… it'll take a while before father and I can have some heart to heart…"

Then, seeing how the short-haired girl fell sad and silent, the brunette chuckled. "Aw, what am I doing?! That's not what I wanted to talk about…" she then walked to her friend. "You know… I used to think any day was just the same… but listen… you don't get any second chance in life… if you accept things the way they are, they'll never change."

_She's right… no second chances… time doesn't turn back… never… _Shinn mused as many thoughts flew through his mind about his family and what happened to them. _Time only flows forward and those irreplaceable things you've lost will never come back… that's why I…!_

Natsuki took a look at the city below and sighed. "I guess this is the last time I'll see this view… I won't be to school next week cause I'll be packing… I guess it's a goodbye…"

"NO!!" The door leading to the rooftop pried open as Shinn stepped on the spot, upset. Fuuka stood up when she saw him.

"Overhearing is a no-no, Shinn… didn't anyone tell you?" Natsuki giggled. But he didn't reply, he simply looked at her, angrily. The girl looked at both him and Fuuka and shrugged. "Hey, both of you, don't give me that look. It's OK, everything will be fine."

"But, Natsuki…" Fuuka started, but Natsuki hushed her.

"I'm not helpless. I changed a lot since I met the two of you. I'm gonna try and figure out what I really want… so… I hope you'll both do the same."

"What we… really want…?!" Shinn was clearly dumbfounded by her words. _I… I want to protect Stellar… and get Kira… that's all I want! But then… why do I feel like this?_

The short-haired girl lowered her head. "I…I was afraid to not be liked, so I always did my best, hoping it would have helped me to fit in. I've never really thought about what I wanted…"

Natsuki laughed. "It's just like you. I'll say, if they don't accept you for who you really are, then screw'em… as for me, I like you the way you are, even if you don't like yourself!" her eyes then went at Shinn. "And I'm sure it's the same for him as well… isn't that right, Shinn?"

The boy jolted and blushed. "Well, um… I… shouldn't I?"

She slapped his back, merrily. "Figures. I'm really gonna miss messing with a cute boy like you."

After saying that, she once again said her goodbye and left. Fuuka moved to chase her, but then reconsidered and stopped, sadly looking at the floor. Shinn wanted to cheer her up, although he didn't know how. After a few seconds, Fuuka's phone started ringing, hinting her she just received a text message: a message from Natsuki.

"_Even if we're apart, we'll still be connected. We can always talk, right? Thanks for everything."_

After reading it, Fuuka put her cell phone away and looked at the sky. "…it all makes sense now… I was so worried about how others felt… That's why my power allows me to stay connected with them…"

She then looked at Shinn with a bright smile. "There IS something I want: I'm happy when people around me are happy too. So… I want us all to remain friends. My Persona gave me this gift… this amazing power: the power to connect the hearts of people even when they're apart."

In a matter of seconds, just like with Akihiko, Ken and Yukimura, even Fuuka's Persona, Lucia, went through a metamorphosis and transformed into a new Persona, similar to Lucia but with a red outfit, eyes similar to those on a peacock tail around her face and even wings looking like gigantic peacock feathers. Shinn couldn't believe his eyes and wondered what could have happened.

His flow of thoughts was interrupted when the other SEES juniors arrived on the rooftop and Fuuka's new Persona – which she called Juno – disappeared. Yukari looked at both of them and blushed, looking away.

Junpei's smile broadened. "Um… we… weren't interrupting anything, right?"

Fuuka and Shinn looked at each other and blushed a little, both in denial. Then, the girl sighed and walked to her team members, saying she would have done her best with her power, for her sake and the sake of others.

_Now I see… _Shinn thought. _Fuuka became mentally stronger… that's why her Persona transformed… but I… is what I'm doing right?… what is that I really want?_

**11/03/09**

Miyuki was quickly walking toward the school, in an awkward, fretful way. She spent most of her night reading, so in the end fell asleep really late. Tards were a rarity for her. And besides, Rei wanted them all to discuss about something the previous night, since that day would have been a full moon… and not an ordinary one, since that day, SEES would have battle the last of the twelve shadows. The young woman was sure he wanted to talk about that and the possibility Strega would have interfered with the mission.

She then stopped on her track and looked up at the clouds for a moment. "SEES members seem so confident about the Dark Hour disappearing once the 12th shadow will be defeated… if I have to be honest, I hope it will happen… too many people suffered…"

She took some more steps to the staircase, but a voice to her left told her to not move. She instinctively turned in that direction, just to see someone's dark silhouette leaping on her, immobilizing her and stunning her with a chloroform-soaked cloth. Miyuki felt the world around her getting blurry before blacking out…

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"Everyone… have you by chance seen Miyuki?" Yukimura asked.

Konata, Kagami, Tsukasa and Kumiko glanced at each other and then at him. "Aside the hotel? No… we all thought she was coming to school with you." Tsukasa said.

Kumiko cupped her chin. "Maybe she spaced out while reading on the monorail and ended up at the wrong place?"

"She never does it when she gotta go to school!" The young man spat, slamming both hands on the desk. Immediately, all the other students who were still there during lunchtime turned around. He didn't seem to care though, since the concern was much stronger.

Akihiko walked to them while drinking an energy drink. "Something the matter? You seem really upset…"

Kagami walked to him. "It's Miyuki-San…"

"Oh right… I don't see her around… is she sick?"

Yukimura shook his head. "She was FINE… admittedly she woke up a little later because she was reading, but…"

The silver-haired one crossed his arms and pondered. "…maybe something held her. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll see her once you get back to the hotel… but most important…" he then approached the group and talked keeping his voice low, so to not be heard. "Tonight is the night… I'm positive we're going to win this match. And since you helped us out a lot, when everything will be over, Mitsuru wanted you to come and celebrate with us. She wanted me to tell you since we're classmates. Be sure to tell Zala and Asuka too."

"Ooh la la… a formal invitation from that petite mademoiselle!" Konata giggled. "Will you serve sushi?"

"If that's OK to you as well… what do you think, Kumiko?" he asked.

She mused for a while and replied. "I'm not much into sushi, actually but… sure, why not? " as if she didn't really care about it.

"Well, if you don't like sushi much, we could g-"

Before Akihiko could finish his sentence, the girl was on him speedily saying: "Well I'll take fatty tuna, shrimp, squid, octopus and salmon roe… oh, and tamago too! When eggs are well prepared, that's especially tasty…"

Akihiko looked at her, blinking. Next to her, Kagami whispered to Konata. "I can't believe this… she acted as if she didn't but she actually seems like digging sushi a lot…"

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Given the circumstances, the Kagayaku members decided to cut afternoon classes and, at lunchtime, they all set out to the hotel. As soon as they stepped inside the hotel, Yukimura called Miyuki's name but got no answer. They all knew that couldn't be good: first she didn't come to school and then that. Kumiko ordered Konata and the twins to check her room while she and the guys went inside Rei's room.

"Rei-Sensei… Miyuki…!"

He nodded while rapidly typing on his computer's keyboard, the monitor's light reflected on his glasses and giving him an unsettling aura. "She didn't come to school even though she did left the hotel… I tried searching her whereabout, but it's proving itself harder than expected… I'm afraid she might be in danger…"

Yukimura bit his lower lip. "Crap… I KNEW I had to go with her…!"

"Yuki, this is not the time to feel down! There's still the chance to save her if she's in trouble…" Shinjiro crossed his arms while standing next to him.

Then, a sound similar to an alarm rang and a red light flashed above the monitor. Immediately, Kumiko prepared herself to act. "Sensei, what's going on?!"

"A transmission… I'll patch it through the monitor." Rei answered without removing his eyes from the monitor.

As he typed something, a window opened on the screen as Dennis' smiling face appeared on it. "Can you see and hear me, Kagayaku-ers? It took us a while, but thanks to Jin we managed to make a contact with you… I'll get to the point: we have your pretty little navigator! I'm sure she's valuable to you, since you can't do a thing without someone's support… and you've been meddling in too much lately! Now you won't be able to interfere in the battle between SEES and the others… of course, you might come and save the girl, but it would take too much time for you to rescue her and go help SEES in a single Dark Hour… and even if you tried to rescue her during daytime, what chances would a bunch of kids with their geeky professor adviser against me and my boys?"

_Geeky professor adviser, huh… so that's what you think…_ Rei thought, the light reflected on his glasses almost making him look demonic. Yukimura looked at the screen too, rage flaring in his eyes.

"He said 'SEES and the others'… but then… Strega IS planning to butt in!" Shinn jumped.

Konata took a step forward. "If you think your buddies will have it easy, forget it! The SEES guys are much stronger than you people! They'll kick your butt, break your limbs, spit in your eyes and cause you to wet your pants!"

Dennis mimicked an "ooh" and smirked. "You put so much trust in those kids… but you're right… there's a good chance Takaya and Jin will be defeated… if it happens, it only means they were unfit to accomplish their mission."

"That fat-assed bastard… he doesn't give a shit about his pals!" Shinjiro snarled.

The fat German young man shrugged. "None of this matter, anyway… but I do trust you want your lady friend back… so why don't you come here and get it? I'll be waiting… right here!" With another chuckle, the window closed and a section of the city, not too far from the internet point Strega hanged around was highlighted on the screen.

Konata, Kagami and Tsukasa looked at Kumiko, as to ask her opinion and beg her to do something, all clearly concerned about their dear friend. Unfortunately, she was at loss herself. "Looks like the bastard has read through our every move… we clearly CAN'T save Miyuki AND help SEES…"

"B…but Kumi-Chan!" Tsukasa stuttered. "We could try and save Yuki-Chan BEFORE the Dark Hour! We CAN summon Personae outside the Dark Hour… is it possible?!"

"It's not impossible… but I don't know if they will be as powerful… and we don't know what effects that could have… I'm afraid we're sitting ducks this time…"

Konata jumped in front of her, decisive "We can't give up, Kumi-Chan! Not without even trying! Even if it's just an 1% chance of success, it's still not zero! We MUST try!"

While they were talking, Shinn wanted to ask Yukimura an advice, but noticed he was gone… and so was Rei. Shinjiro made him notice that the two of them dashed outside as soon as Dennis broke contact. "Those idiots!! What kind of stunt are they trying to pull out?!" he cried.

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After a couple of weary tries, Miyuki finally managed to open her eyes. She was lying on the damp floor of some sort of old basement. The place had an intense ground smell and could see some cockroaches at a few distance. Immediately, she stood up in a sitting position as she remembered what happened. Her kidnapping. Thanking the heaven her hands weren't tied up, she moved toward the basement's locked door and looked outside through the chink in the upper part of the door; Some people wearing sunglasses and grey hats and shirts were frolicking in front of her room. All she could make out from her words was that there were intruders inside. _Everyone?! _She thought as she tried to summon Personomicon. The Persona appeared, still, being daylight, the task proved itself much more tiring than during the Dark Hour and she couldn't hold up her concentration enough to scan the surrounding area. Exhausted, she leaned on the wall and took some light breath.

A sudden noise at her back caused her heart to jolt as she braced herself. After a few instant, a person came out from behind some crates: it was a young woman with short purple-reddish hair and deep purple eyes; she wore a white jeans jacket over her pink T-shirt and some cute-looking jeans. Obviously, she was another kidnapped victim like herself. Miyuki took a step toward the girl but she jumped back behind the crates. Miyuki could only guess she saw her Persona and got scared. "Look… I'm not going to hurt you… what you just saw is no evil monster. I'm sorry for startling you, it wasn't my intention."

The girl's head slowly popped out again.

The pink-haired girl stretched a hand to the mysterious girl. "I am Miyuki. Miyuki Takara. May I ask your name?"

Finally she spoke, still insecure. "…Lunamaria… but please, call me Luna."

Miyuki nodded with a sweet smile. "Alright, Luna-San… how did you end here? Do you know what place it is?"

Lunamaria put both hands at her sides and frowned. "I wish I knew… I came here because I've heard of my old comrades being here. While I was searching for the others, this fatso tried and picked on me… since I'm already after a guy, I told him to leave me alone, and as a response, he took me away forcefully and… so, here I am."

Miyuki frowned. She didn't know who the fat person was, but she could only guess he was quite a pervert. One more reason to get out of there immediately.

"Right! I don't think it's the case, but is there a chance you met my comrades? They're two young men named Athrun Zala and Shinn Asuka…"

Miyuki's eyes widened in surprise. So that girl was a friend of those two… "My, yes. I do know them! In fact, they happen to be my friends as well!"

"Wow, talk about a lucky coincidence… one more reason to try and get out of here pronto!" Luna walked towards the door and tried to make it budge. When she failed, she kicked it. "It's in times like these I regret not having my MS…"

"MS?" Miyuki blinked.

The other girl left out an embarrassed chuckle. "Oh… no, nothing! Say, can't you use that book/monster/thing you called earlier to break through this door?"

"No… I'm sorry… it can only analyze…"

"We MUST get out of here somehow… I don't even want to think about what that fatso will do to me…" Lunamaria shuddered, teary-eyed.

Miyuki didn't say nothing. She looked outside through the chink, hoping she could manage to see who the intruders were. Suddenly, two vivid amber eyes peeked inside from under blond forelocks. Miyuki instinctively hid when she heard the person doing something to the lock. In a matter of seconds, the room door was forced open and the two girls were free to go. Another girl was standing on the doorway: she was blond, not too curvy and wore a red T-shirt, brown pants and gloves and was carrying a rifle with her. "

"So there ARE people held here… those chatterbox soldiers! If they didn't want people to know about this stuff, they shouldn't go around telling everyone… oh well, it's all at my advantage! But most important, you gals OK?"

"Y…yes…" Miyuki replied, feeling a little disappointed about her saviour not being Yukimura and the others, but still grateful to the blond girl. "Um… and you are?"

"Look, we can have all the time you want for introductions once we're outta here!" she grunted. "Let's move out as long as those other two guys are drawing the scumbag's attention!"

"You mean you didn't come here alone?" Lunamaria asked.

"Nah, those guys have nothing to do with me… but they're raising a real hell upstairs." The woman said, looking out for sentinels. "Are they by chance your friends? Seems like they were looking for someone and since you were the only ones here…"

The other two girls shared a confused gaze. "Have you by chance seen them?"

"Let's see…" the blondie reflected. "One of them was a tall man with glasses… and I think the other was well-muscled with fiery red hair…"

Miyuki gasped when she heard that. "Kuro-Sensei… Yuki-Kun… we need to reach them immediately!"

_**Lunamaria Hawke: **__Also known as simply Luna, she seems like an ordinary teenager in both her ways, attitude and look. She's a nice girl who also happens to know Shinn and Athrun as both friends and comrades. Even though she seems to hail from the same place they do, she seems to ignore about the Dark Hour and Personae and doesn't even show to have any sign of the potential._

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"Boss!" one of the men Dennis hired saluted as he entered the room "The girls have escaped!"

"What? How could it happen?!" he asked, getting off his seat.

"We…we've been had… there was a third intruder aside those two… and she's pretty tough herself!"

Dennis' scowl became a smirk once he heard about the third intruder being a girl. "It doesn't matter you idiot… you just take care of the other two men… kill them, if you must! I will take care of the woman personally…"

The man jolted. "W…we WOULD kill them, but they're decimating us as they breach our defense lines… they possess a power which isn't simply that form of potential…!"

"Oh, but in the end they're still a kid and a computer teacher… they shouldn't be able to win if you gang up… gather all men who can still fight and assault them… all of you! Don't forget I'm paying you dearly for this task…" The German man said, pulling the other man's shirt. Once Dennis released him, he bowed and dashed outside. Then the fat one took out a mirror and started fixing his hair.

"Finding decent help is so hard nowadays, huh?" a voice said at his back. Dennis recognized it since it belonged to Kurz.

"That Jin… he got me! The information he gave to me was completely wrong! I sure hope those SEES brats will kill him tonight and he will writhe in hell once this mess will be over! A man like that CAN'T possibly be a simple computer teacher!" Dennis growled, pounding his fist on his desk.

"This man seems to be nothing but trouble… who is he anyway?" Kurz asked.

"Beats me… the file Jin gave to me said he's nothing more than a computer teacher named… uhm… how was the name…? Oh yeah! Kurohagane… Rei Kurohagane."

Kurz's eyes widened in shock as he heard that name. He had been knowing Kurohagane for a while and they were more than enemies. More than once the cross-dresser succumbed to the man's power. Feeling chills running up his spine, he stepped back. _If he really is involved… and finds me here… my chances of taking over Strega and this world will be reduced to zero… sorry lardy, my business with you here is done. No hard feelings, OK? _"Uh… I see you're getting ready to meet those girls… which I'm not interested in… so, I'll be leaving now… have fun, OK?" he said before running off, unseen.

"Hmph… sure, run ahead you chicken… it only means more fun for me…" Dennis hummed, still looking at himself in the mirror.

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With a whooshing sound, Rei's knife flew into the hair and pierced through the sentry's neck. After his poor victim fell on the floor, he checked at his back as Yukimura, with a furious battlecry, stabbed and pierced the other over and over with his cross-shaped spear. When the storm passed, both teacher and teenager proceeded onward in the building. After running for a few meters, the man's ear caught a suspicious sound and he froze in his battle stance. "Yukimura-Kun… I think the true party is about to begin…" he whispered with a smirk. Behind him, Yukimura clenched his grip on his spear.

It all happened in a matter of seconds. The two of them were quickly surrounded by a very large group of armed minions. Once again, Rei readied his knives, a sinister light on his glasses making his eyes hard to see. "Is Dennis always so good at welcoming people or we're just lucky?"

With a snap of fingers, the commander ordered the bunch to attack Yukimura and Rei. They moved to do so, but a strange flowing of energy kept them at distance. As if Rei's aura wasn't powerful enough, Yukimura's was pretty scary itself as the young man started to literally snarl, keeping his torso hunched forward, steam coming out of his mouth at each of his heavy breaths.

"What are you waiting for?! Attack them!!" the commander shouted.

"B…but …these two clearly aren't normal folks!" one of the men stuttered.

"YOU IDIOT! We've been hired to do this! If we don't get the job done, we won't get paid!"

"But we won't get to enjoy any reward if we're dead…" another man muttered…

"Did you say something?!" Their boss angrily yelled.

"N…n…not at all, boss… CHAAAAAARGE!" the man said, prompting all the others to attack.

Rei swirled his knives in his hands and stabbed the enemies as much as they came, with swift, precise and deadly swings. _Some professionals… I don't even need to use my full power on these gnats… that's good, I'll save everything I have for that lardbag! _ He thought as he fought, barely breaking a sweat. Yukimura fought too, but unlike the teacher, who demonstrated an icy calm, he was the fiery rage of a volcano, slashing and screaming as if he was possessed, his eyes being nothing but red pools with a speck of black and steam coming out of his mouth. As more and more enemies were on him, too many he could handle with just his spear, the teenager took out his Evoker and called Shingen forth, hinting he was a fury, but could also be able to think and reason. Many fell under the blows of Yukimura and Shingen's spears. In the end, only their boss was left who, after just standing there yelling orders around, cowardly tried to make a run for it. Rei moved to stop him with one of his knives, but noticing Yukimura's fast movements, he let him be as the red-haired teenager pierced one of his legs with his spear, preventing him from moving. After that, he proceeded with punching and kicking him. The man's blood ran cold as he gazed into his eyes. "Oh p…p…p…please… I… I was forced to do this job… I… I have a wife at home with two little children, I have to get money to feed them somehow. FORGIVE MEEEEE!!" he whined as tears and snot came out of his eyes and nose.

The teenager violently grabbed his hair and forced him to look at him. "Where's Miyuki?!" he asked.

"Th…the girl? I… I don't know, I swear!" He frantically shook his head.

Yukimura's eyes become even wilder as he prepared himself to punch him again, but Rei halted him. With a nice yet dark smile, the professor took out a knife and put it close enough to the man cheek a flick of blood ran from it. "…any second thought?" he asked.

"I…I…I… I really don't know! I mean, we just locked those two chicks inside the basement, but they escaped on their own because of another bitch! I think they're still in here… that's all I know, please believe me!!"

Rei let him go, causing him to fall on the floor with a thud. "Two girls?... so Miyuki's not the only one… Always if this scum here told us the truth… regardless, we need to find them immediately."

As the two of them started to walk away, the commander tried to take some sort of remote control out of his pocket. Catching that movement in the corner of his eye, Rei flung one of his knives backward, which fell on the man's hand, stabbing it and causing the remote control to fall and slip farther.

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Miyuki, Luna and the blond girl were still running through the building, trying to find either the exit or Miyuki's friends who were looking for them. Strangely, there was no one around after hearing some big commotion and fighting noises in the building, but the place was structured just like a maze due to many doors being nailed shut and the dim light inside made finding the way even harder. Even when they tried to use an elevator, it was out of service… the place must have been an abandoned flat compartment.

Finally, the three girls managed to find the big wooden door leading out but, as they moved to set off, they saw Dennis standing in their way, clapping his hands with a satisfied smile.

"Sehr gut (Authoress' note: for those who don't know it, it means "Very good" in German), my dearest. What a lovely tag game… too bad I seem to have won…"

The young blondie placed herself in front of the other two as Lunamaria braced herself. "It's him… the fatso who pestered me!"

"Well well, so that means I'm gonna kill two birds with a stone, huh?" the golden-haired woman readied her rifle. "Very well, Strega-er! Your group has been pestering others for too long… first I'll teach YOU a lesson, then I'll get your other friends too!"

Miyuki jolted. "He…he's from Strega?! But… how do you know?! Who are you?!"

The girl hesitated for a moment, enough for Dennis to draw his Evoker and summon his disturbing Persona, Mara. Lunamaria covered her mouth, trying hard to not puke, the blond woman looked at him in a mix of horror and disgust and Miyuki fainted as soon as she saw IT.

"Now, now…" Dennis chuckled. "I'm not going to kill you fine frauleins, I'll just play a little with you if you don't mind…"

_Arrrgh, this is all your fault, Kira!! _The blond girl mentally cried as tears stung her eyes. _If you stopped angsting around and came along, now I wouldn't have to put up with this crap!! But NO, you were too shocked by that poor guy's death…! _

At his user's command, Mara moved to use his Maralagidyne on the girls, but a voice stopping him as a knife flew in the room. Everyone looked in the direction both went to see Rei and Yukimura. Immediately, the red-haired boy picked up Miyuki's body and shook it. It took her a while but she regained consciousness, feeling at ease as soon as her eyes focused on his face.

"MiWiki… I'm so glad… you're… OK…" he whispered as he suddenly felt very weak and winded up. Concerned, both Miyuki and Luna tried and support him. "I'm… OK… I'm just a little… tired…" he said.

"It's because you fought until now to protect me, right… thanks, Yuki-Kun… I don't know how, but I'll repay you somehow…" Miyuki said, softly kissing his cheek.

"Yukimura-Kun… take Miyuki and the others and go to the hotel now." Rei calmly ordered.

"But Sensei, I can still…" He tried to get up, but his strength isn't enough to do it properly.

"Do as I say… I'm more than enough for this one… besides, you have to concern yourself about her safety…"

"I… I understand…" the young man nodded and all of them went past Dennis and Rei to get out the building. Dennis tried to stop them, of course, but Rei stepped right in front of him.

"Tsk… you don't know what you're getting into… GEEK!" Dennis muttered, wiping off his chin. "Now I'll make you pay double for letting those cuppy cakes go!"

Rei fixed his glasses, which seemed to shine as he built up power within. "Let me just tell you one thing before I put your miserable life to an end: you pissed off the wrong person."

A strong gust of red and blue energy was emitted by the professor's body, which threw Dennis backward. "There's more… you're about to find out how frightening dying by something you hear the name of can be…" with that, he stretched his right arm outward as the energy swirled at his back

"Daemon… ASTRANAGUN!!!"

As soon ah Rei uttered these words, the energy flow merged, taking the shape of some sort of mix between a black robot and a demon. The whole building shook at the insane overflow of energy, pieces of plaster falling from the ceiling. Even Dennis' Persona, Mara, hesitated in front of it and started to wane. Dennis felt pure terror as he watched. The man with glasses smirked and said. "Such a moronic arrogance… I shall show you exactly where your place is…" then stretched his other hand onward as a second mechanic being, a massive-looking blue and golden, evil-looking giant appeared. As the man focused, the one named Daemon Astranagun gathered his power in some sort of red, mystical crest, while the other gathered gravity to create some sort of a massive black hole. As the two different energies melted together in a dark flare, Rei started chanting in a solemn tone.

"With the hellish flames of calamity… burn across the horizon… leaving only death and ruination in your wake… come forth, degenerative RAGNAROK!!"

A massive blast of red and black was unleashed upon the German boy, creating a bright explosion of light that literally caused the earth to shake as, from outside the building, flashes of white, red and black could be seen and a massive explosion followed after. It was a relief the place was abandoned and built with anti-quake measures, otherwise the whole building would have collapsed, causing countless victims. Most of people in the neighbourhood escaped in fear when they heard that commotion. As for Dennis… he died screaming, although he could have never known… everything that was left of him was nothing more than ashes.

While this was happening, Miyuki, Yukimura and the others managed to catch up with the rest of the group that was looking out for them, but before they got the chance to talk, they could hear the explosion and Miyuki, feeling an insane flow of energy, worried about Rei and insisted to go back and check. Once they reached the place's entrance, they were greeted by the professor, who looked perfectly normal. Behind him, they could see Dennis' ashes. _That's… crazy… you mean HE did that? _Kumiko thought, as shocked as everybody else were. _Besides, there's no way he could do it for a girl who's simply working under him… if I didn't know it's impossible, I'd say he's engaged with a Miyuki Takara from another dimension… still, that possibility seem quite possible to me, I don't understand why…_

As if nothing ever happened, the teacher quietly looked around. "What are you all doing here? The show is over, there's nothing more to watch… but…" his eyes went on the two new girls. "There are new guests among us, hm?"

Miyuki's mind snapped out of her daze and she took Luna's hand. "Oh, right… Luna-San! You said you wanted to meet Zala-San and Asuka-San…!"

As soon as they heard the name and noticed the girl, both Shinn and Athrun were more than surprised. Immediately, Lunamaria glomped both of them, merrily. "Oh, I've been searching all over for you! It was mean on your part leaving me alone for so long…" she cried.

"Y…yeah, you're right… sorry for worrying you so much, Luna… we would have contacted you, but we could never guess you were here as well!" Shinn awkwardly answered.

The girl examined her friend's face with a playful smile. "Shinn… acting nice and considerate? Is the world going to end soon?"

"Say, guys… won't you introduce us to your lady friend?" Konata asked.

"Right." Shinn cleared his voice and gestured to the girl. "Meet Lunamaria Hawke. We used to be partners before ending here in Tatsumi Port Island."

Lunamaria smirked and nudged Shinn. "…Oh? I see you kept yourself pretty busy when I wasn't around, huh? Surrounded by many kinds of babes… are you trying to steal Athrun's spotlight or what?"

Yukimura, who was supported by Miyuki to stand up, laughed when he heard her. "Don't worry, Lunamaria-San… these girls here are nothing more than friends to him…although Kumiko-San here might be mistaken for his older sister… and no one will ever spot Athrun's spotlight in being a ladykiller, I'm afraid!"

Athrun proudly nodded when Yukimura said those words, but his merriness died out as soon as he felt the blond girl's hand on his shoulder and turned around to see her, her eyes concealed by her forelocks. "So… I see you're still into that stuff you sunnova…"

He gulped and smiled sheepishly. "Er… hi, Cagalli…"

"Don't 'hi, Cagalli' me you little double-crosser!"

"Yet another one of your lady friends, Athrun-San?" Kagami asked with an ironic smile.

The girl, Cagalli, shook her head. "You're wrong. I'm not 'yet another one', I'm supposed to be his true, only girlfriend… but since this lame cheater keeps rushing after every single skirt he sees, I…I don't know how I'm still able to put up with such a jerk!"

"In any event, I gotta thank you for helping us rescue Miyuki, Cagalli-San" Yukimura said. And then, in her ear. "…and don't worry, I got your back as far as that idiot is concerned… next time he'll try and cheat on you, I'll kick his ass personally."

Shinn looked at her and frowned. "…still, what brings you here in our lowly presence, Your Highness…?" he said turning his back at her, causing the others, aside Rei and his comrades, to be confused.

Cagalli wanted to talk back, but Rei halted her. "Let him be for the moment, Princess." he whispered to her. "I'm afraid despite the days he spent here, he still hates Orb and its representatives… especially after meeting Kira weeks ago."

"So you know about us, huh…? I figured you weren't an ordinary man, ever after what you did… just drop the princess term with me, OK? I'm just a girl since Orb doesn't exist here." she whispered back. Then, to the others. "I mainly have two reasons for being here: one is to keep Athrun on eye, of course… the other is to make a contact and support you."

"Well we don't need your help, thank you. We can do it on our own!" Shinn replied, starting to walk away. Kumiko tried to call him, but Rei told her to let him go ahead.

The blondie sighed and then continued. "I'll be blunt: I was asked to help you by my br… I mean, by Kira… normally, I'd ask him to do it himself if he wants to do it, but… he's been pretty down lately, ever since a certain incident a few weeks ago…"

"Are you talking about what happened to Aragaki-San?" Miyuki asked.

She nodded. "That and his clash with Athrun… Kira locked himself in his room and refuses to get out, saying he feels guilty for his death, as if he killed him himself. Naturally, I tried to persuade him, but he didn't want to listen. Don't think ill of him, he's a good boy… maybe too good for the world he lives in…"

_**Cagalli Yula Atha: **__A combative, somehow tomboyish girl who's also the Princess of a country named Orb, existing in the reality she lived in before being beamed in the reality this story takes place. She's a Natural (An ordinary human) who can use the SEED mode like Coordinators but, unlike Athrun, Shinn and Kira, even though she can move within the Dark Hour, she doesn't also have the Persona potential. Tough, reckless and a little foul-mouthed at times, she's also able to show a sensitive, feminine side. She's also Athrun's standard girlfriend, although he repeatedly cheats on her. _

**11/04/09**

The whole atmosphere felt much lighter that day. SEES members successfully managed to defeat Takaya and Jin from Strega and also conquered the 12th shadow. All of them felt they managed to bring the Dark Hour to an end and save the world. Also the victims of Apathy Syndrome also known as The Lost seemed like on the way of recovery after the previous day's big battle. As promised, Kagayaku members were invited over for a big party to celebrate the accomplishment of the mission and also as a way to thank her for always being supportive when needed. Rei had no objection to the party, but ordered Kumiko to make sure they all came back to Kotobuki Hotel before midnight. She didn't really understand why, but decided to comply anyway.

That night, all of the members went to the dorm (Aside Shinjiro who stayed at the hotel with Rei and Luna and who demanded Kumiko to bring him some sushi), including Cagalli (Who, that same day, started attending classes at Gekkoukan High School and who kept Athrun on a leash, literally). Once inside the dorm, they were greeted by bounty of the finest sushi on the table. Even Kumiko left out a quiet squeal when she saw it all. Everyone was there but Ikutsuki and Aigis, since the first took the latter to his lab for an overhaul.

And so they all started to eat, talk and have more fun. Mitsuru talked to Cagalli so to know each other better (Although the blond princess mostly took note of all the times Athrun tried to pick up the red-haired young woman.); Yukari was astonished of how much sushi both Kumiko and Konata were eating, while Akihiko, when Kagami said she didn't want much because she was on a diet, remarked about how thin she actually was. The funny thing was he didn't blush!

Soon after, a car stopped by the dorm and Mitsuru's father, Takeharu Kirijo, entered with two of his bodyguards. The head of the Kirijo Group congratulated with both Persona-using groups and wished them a triumphal return to an ordinary life. This prompted Athrun to remind Shinn that maybe, if the Dark Hour was really over, they would have been able to go back home. The black-haired boy looked at his sushi with a sad smile. "… I don't want to go back…"

"But why?!" Athrun asked, wide-eyed. "Don't you miss our true world?"

"Actually I don't… not anymore… there's nothing left for me there… besides, I think that, staying here, I can finally figure out what I really want… I mean, if we're automatically warped back the way we ended here, it's OK, but… if I can stay more, I want to stay…"

His blue-haired senpai grumbled. First Meer expressing the wish of staying there as that world's Lacus and now Shinn too? "…there's not much I can say if that's what you want…" he reluctantly mumbled.

Junpei then called both of them for taking a massive group picture, causing Kumiko to refuse because Aigis not being there with them, but he replied they would have taken another later. And so both groups posed together for the pic, both Kagami and Akihiko scolding at Konata and Junpei when both stroke a bunny-ears pose and said "VI!!" ala Yurika Misumaru from Nadesico. Akihiko pulled Junpei backward, causing him to tumble and the picture came with everyone looking at him in awe.

When there was less than one hour left to midnight, the Kagayaku members thanked Mitsuru and his father for the party and said goodbye to the rest of the group. Once they were back, Luna asked them how it was and Shinn told her everything, while Kumiko gave Shinjiro the sushi he asked for. "Hmm, first-rate… just like Mitsuru." He rubbed his hands together with a satisfied smile preparing to dig in.

"So, how was the party at the dorm?" Rei asked as he walked downstairs to meet them.

"Lovely, Sensei." Kumiko answered with a small smile. "…too bad Aigis-Chan had to go through an overhaul and couldn't come… I would have liked to see her all tuned-up!"

"Blame it on Kuro-Sensei!" Konata snickered. "HE's the one who asked us to be back before midnight as if we were kids at their first time in a club disco!"

"Well, there IS a reason I asked you to come around this time…"

Kagami crossed her arms. "…to make sure we're ready in case the Dark Hour doesn't end?"

He nodded as Lunamaria looked at them, confused.

"But Teach… the twelve shadows have been defeated… there's no way the Dark Hour is not gonna end…" Shinjiro remarked, perplexed.

The teacher smirked. "Well let's wait for midnight if you don't believe me…"

And so they all waited until the clock reached midnight…

As to be expected, the sky and moon became green, blood appeared in blotches here and there…

Even Lunamaria, who was right next to them, instantly transformed into a black coffin emanating a red aura. Shinn was pretty shocked in seeing her like this.

Shinjiro couldn't believe it. "What? Again?! Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Kumiko shook her head. "I feared it might have happened… especially after having that dream I usually have again…"

Rei frowned. "Looks like we weren't wrong in pursuing a different path from SEES…"

The ghost got off his seat. "It gotta end… when the shadows are defeated… the Dark Hour's s'posed to end!"

Athrun hushed them. "Don't you listen something like… a bell?"

In fact he was right: although distant, a bell ringing was clearly audible in the whole area. It was a hollow, ominous bell, its sound giving the creeps.

"Judging from the direction… I'd say it comes from where Tartarus is…" Shinn added.

"What is this bullshit, Teach?! If you know, you gotta tell us NOW!" Shinjiro spat, clearly angry. A rarity for the composed and laid-back ghost-boy.

Rei nodded and sat down. "Remember the files Shinn got from the terminal within Iwatodai dorm when we rescued Junpei? I analyzed those data in the following days and from that I realized the truth…" he paused before continuing, intensely looking at the teenagers in front of him. "Defeating the twelve shadows is not going to make the Dark Hour disappear… quite the opposite."

"So the Kirijo Group DID deceive SEES in the end...?!" Kagami asked while frowning.

Rei shook his head. "No… not the Group itself… it was all a scheme planned by Shuji Ikutsuki in order to make them do as his bidding."

"But wasn't the Kirijo Group what brought Tartarus and the Dark Hour upon us?" Kumiko asked. "Is that a lie too?!"

"Of course, the Kirijo Group made it happen back then… Kouetsu Kirijo was planning the same thing Ikutsuki does now when he performed that wretched experiment ten years ago… he harnessed the power of shadows to bring forth Tartarus and the Dark Hour on purpose… still his son, Takeharu, didn't agree with his vision… he too, like the other SEES members, was now tricked by Ikutsuki's dastardly scheme."

"Planning… what is Ikutsuki planning? What is this vision?" Tsukasa asked, ever more confused.

The professor frowned and fixed his glasses before explaining. "The twelve shadows were originally one single entity… and were destined to be reunited, to become one once again… and by defeating them, SEES made their reunion possible… their reunion as the almighty mother of all shadows, which will descend upon the world to bring forth the Fall: Death."

All the present teenagers gasped when they heard that. It didn't sound good at all. Shinn remembered one of the file talking about the fall of society… maybe it was related to what they were listening then…

The teacher continued. "The Fall is the end of everything as we know it… the end of all life. The end of the world… and the start of another. That's what Ikutsuki wants."

Kumiko placed a hand over her mouth, remembering her dream about the end. "…and you say that Mitsuru's grandfather wanted to bring forth the Fall when he did that experiment… and THAT's why he created Tartarus… and the Dark Hour?!"

"If I remember correctly" Miyuki mused. "Kouetsu Kirijo was a nihilist man who came to hate this world… is it possible he did it to erase the world he thought so ugly to create a new, purer one?"

Yukimura nodded. "Prolly, that Ikutsuki jerkass is planning the same shit…"

"According to a prophecy which was also listed in those files, the Fall will be brought forth by an individual known as 'the Prince'… a Prince who shall rule over the new world once the old one is destroyed…" Rei added.

Kumiko grimaced. "…So he ultimately just wants to rule the world."

"OF COURSE!" Konata blurted.

Shinjiro sunk his head down. "I never knew… even though I was one of the starting members… I never had idea…"

Kumiko looked at him with a friendly expression. "We know…we know you have nothing to do with this… you're a good lad… maybe too good for your own sake."

"But then… what will become of the SEES members…?" Tsukasa asked, cupping her chin?

The professor shook his head. "…. There's a good chance he'll ask them to follow him to reach salvation…"

Kagami snapped. "There's NO WAY they'd agree!" everyone else nodded at her remark.

"Yeah, I think not even Yukari'd do such a silly thing…" Konata added.

"That reminds me…what about the video Takeba-San's father left?" Miyuki asked, perplexed. "Wait… you mean Ikutsuki-San doctored it on purpose like I suspected?"

Rei grimly nodded. "Eiichiro Takeba never wished for the Fall… rather, he gave his life to prevent it."

"That bastard, Ikutsuki!! He even uses the dead, throwing mud on the true reason they died?! I'm SO gonna carve a new belly button on him once I get him!!" Shinn cried as he pounded his own lap in a fit of rage.

"…why didn't you told us about this earlier, Sensei?!" Athrun asked, looking into the professor's eyes. "If we knew, we would have told SEES and-"

"…and then what?" Kumiko asked, crossing her arms. "That group is filled with stubborn people, I doubt they would have actually listened to outsiders like us… and I'm pretty sure Ikutsuki would have…'rearranged' the info we would have provided at his own advantage… like he did with everything so far…"

Shinjiro nodded while punching his other palm. "I'm with Kumi. Now it's the best moment to tell them what really happened: the Dark Hour didn't disappear like everyone hoped for and Ikutsuki's credibility will start wobbling. If we wanna warn'em, we oughta do it now, before the four-eyed jerkass makes his move!"

Miyuki became thoughtful for a moment as if she focused on something, then a chill crossed her spine. "I'm…I'm afraid it might be too late…"

Everyone else looked at her confused. Instantly the girl with glasses made Personomicon appear in front of herself and gasped as she checked the book-shaped Persona. "Ah!! I… I was right! Everyone has left the dorm… they're all gathered somewhere inside Tartarus… and… Ikutsuki-San and Aigis-San are there too!"

"Aigis-Chan?!" Kumiko jolted. "Wait, you mean that overhaul she went through was…?!"

Rei nodded again. "He probably reprogrammed her in order to sacrifice the SEES members in the event of their refusal to his proposal as the elite who shall be saved from the world being destroyed… they'll become the catalysts… harbingers of his Fall."

Everyone was even more shocked by the man's words. After a few seconds of dumbfounded silence, Kagami got off her seat and leapt in front of Kumiko, clearly furious. "W…we can't let it happen, no matter what! Kumiko, there's no time to waste!"

The brunette nodded, decisive. "After all, our mission is to unveil the truth about this whole situation and act so to put an end to it… besides, we can't just let SEES members to die because of a madman like that guy!"

"You heard your boss, everyone. Prepare for battle, pronto." Rei proclaimed, satisfied. "From this moment on, our biggest operation, Operation P3, is in process!"

"P3?" Tsukasa tilted her head, as confused as the others. As she walked downstairs to get prepared with the rest of the group, she asked: "Say… what do you think P3 stands for?"

Kumiko passed fingers over her lips and reflected. "Oh, maybe it's Rei-Sensei's three Ps: Pervert Perky Professor!"

"I think it stands for Persona 3!" Konata nodded, positive.

"What a ridiculous name… it doesn't mean anything!" Kagami grimaced.

The small, blue-haired girl shook her head. "That's not correct: after all, we have three groups of Persona-users, no?"

Kagami couldn't find any argumentation to talk back with and simply sighed in disbelief.

As soon as everyone were done equipping themselves, they all set off for Tartarus. Shinjiro (Who stayed inside Kumiko's head), Rei and Athrun were with them as well as Cagalli monitored the situation inside the hotel. As for Athrun, there was an argument about him taking part on the rescue operation, having lost his Persona, but the blue-haired teenager managed to persuade everyone about letting him go, saying he would have fought anyhow to help Mitsuru and the others. In the end, Kumiko agreed, seeing how dead serious he was about the whole matter.

Once they were a few distance from the tower, Miyuki summoned Personomicon to see where exactly the others were. She recognized the place as the school observatory, but said it was a completely different area from the standard ones they visited when they climbed the tower and wasn't sure about how reaching it. Just when everyone were starting to give up hope, Shinn heard a loud barking coming closer, as a familiar-looking dog rushed toward them.

"Koro! You're OK! What a relief…" Kumiko smiled as she knelt down next to Koromaru, who ran in circles and barked at her while nervously wagged his tail. Then, he started barking and whimpering frantically. "Whoa, calm down, boy! I can't make out what you're trying to say!"

Tsukasa sat on the floor and stroke the dog on his head, making him whimper and look at her with his deep and sad eyes. "He says everyone went to Tartarus leaving him behind, so he trailed them. And he also said he saw Aigis knocking them all unconscious and taking them off somewhere in the tower!"

Both Shinn and Kagami gasped. "W… you UNDERSTAND dog language too?!"

The short-haired girl chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, it happens to be not too complicated for some reason…"

"Tsukasa! Ask him if he saw where the others went!" Yukimura cried.

Immediately, she did and also asked to take them where they went. Once she did, Koromaru dashed toward the tower and everybody followed him inside. With the dog's smelling and Miyuki's ability, they reached a new side trail to follow upstairs, to the observatory. Unfortunately, their journey wasn't simple, since they soon met large numbers of shadows blocking their way. The dog put himself in-between them and the Kagayaku members, snarling savagely.

"It was to be expected…" Kumiko whispered as she readied her chakrams.

"They're not very strong, but we will waste valuable time if we stand here and fight them." Miyuki said while analyzing them.

Then, Kagami stepped in front of the others, her machinegun ready. With a battle cry, she took down the whole row of shadows blocking their path and rushed onward decisive. As more and more shadows approached, her determination in battle was enhanced. She would have done everything to save Akihiko and the others. "I won't let anyone of you stop me!! Not this time!!!" she yelled as she took out her Evoker and summoned her Persona, which, in an explosion of light, became some sort of white mechanic humanoid surrounded by an energy aura. "Let's do it, ARBALEST!!" she ordered him as the Persona took out a massive rifle and decimated a whole bunch of shadows.

"That's amazing, Sis!" Tsukasa jumped.

"Yeah, Kagamin! That was SO Contra!" Konata nodded, following her friend's movement with her eyes and humming the jungle theme from the first game of the series. Rei did the same soon after, while both Kumiko and Athrun shook their heads in disbelief.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kenji finally managed to reopen his eyes, after a few exhausted tries. For some reason, he was unable to move, as if he was pinned. As a matter of fact, he was: tied to some sort of cross which was made of steel girders. He gasped when he saw he wasn't the only one: the rest of his team members minus Koromaru and Aigis were in the same situation; the android girl was standing in front of them, her eyes completely empty and soulless. She was holding a man, Takeharu Kirijo. Mitsuru was pretty shocked when she saw it. Both the robot and the man were facing Ikutsuki the traitor.

"What is the meaning of this, Ikutsuki?!" Takeharu spat.

The former scientist graced him with a twisted smile. "It's just like it appears: those people are the sacrifices- the harbingers of the Fall. The arrangements are complete and soon the prophecy shall be fulfilled!"

With that, Aigis raised an arm, reading her built-in gun. Mitsuru felt a chill down her spine, it was definitely not good.

"You traitor! Are you insane?!" The head of the Kirijo Group snapped.

"Of course not!" Ikutsuki chuckled. "How unfortunate for your father… even you, his son, couldn't grasp his vision even after all this time."

Kirijo shook his head. "My father was wrong. No one should ever embrace the ideology of death as deliverance!"

"How bothersome… Aigis, now!" the man with glasses ordered to the reprogrammed android.

Like the loyal puppet she became, Aigis cocked her arm, ready to fire.

"Please, Aigis! Don't!! NOOO!!" Mitsuru desperately cried.

Seemingly, the young woman's cries had some effect on the android, who faltered for a moment and dropped her gun-arm. Enraged, Ikutsuki took out a revolver from his coat and pointed it at Takeharu.

"Ten years…" the chairman muttered. "I've wasted ten long years! I'm not like your father… I won't make any exceptions!"

Not wasting any time, Takeharu shrugged himself off Aigis' grip and pulled out his own gun, aiming at Ikutsuki. In the time span of two heartbeats, both of them fired. A loud bang followed after and then a few seconds of silence. Then, Takeharu's body crumpled on the floor, limp.

Mitsuru watched the whole scene in horror. "Father… FATHEEEEEEEER!!" she desperately called, getting no response.

As for Shuji, he was still alive, although Kirijo's bullet hit him in the side, which he was clenching to stop the bleeding. "Aigis… it's time to end it… eliminate the sacrifices now!" he ordered, pushing the red button on a remote control. Instantly, the robot girl's eyes flashed red and she aimed both her gun-arms at the crucified bunch in front of her. This time, their cries couldn't reach her as a clicking sound was heard from both her forearms.

Before she had the chance to fire, a flying chakram hit the android, causing her to kneel down on the floor as it returned, like a boomerang, in its user's hands.

Everyone looked in the direction the ring flew from and gasped when they saw a familiar bunch of teenagers and their mentor: Kagayaku.

"NOT SO FAST, IKUTSUKI!!" Konata spat, pointing a finger at the man. "You just activated our TRAP CARD!!"

"Everyone! Kagami!!" Akihiko said when he saw them.

"We're pulling you down, guys!" Kagami smiled at him, still carrying her machinegun.

Ikutsuki grumbled something unintelligible and tried to reach for his gun again, but before he could, Shinn and Athrun pointed their weapons at him.

"Your game is up, Ikutsuki. You'd better not try anything!" Rei said, from afar.

Ikutsuki chuckled. "I don't need to… AIGIS!"

As she heard his voice, Aigis charged onward, ready to attack. As fast as she was, Kumiko moved to intercept her, blocking her movements while parrying with her chakrams.

"Ah! KUMI-CHAN!!" Tsukasa cried.

"She'll be fine! You girls and Yukimura-Kun focus on getting the SEES members off those crosses!" Rei ordered, stretching a hand outwards.

The battle between the two girls promised to be both intense and without a break. The android was incredibly fast, but the human teenager was no less. Seeing an opening, Kumiko slashed downward with her right chakram, but Aigis parried by crossing both forearms in front of her face. The silence of night was covered by a loud clanging sound.

"Aigis-Chan! Snap out of it! This isn't you!!"

The robot looked at her. The brunette's blood ran cold when she glanced at her soulless eyes, giving the blond android some momentum. She kicked Kumiko in her mid-section, pushing her backward. Kumiko rolled backward so to not fall and clenched her chakrams even tightly. _Curses… she's completely brainwashed! _

Aigis took some slow steps towards her, still looking at her emotionless. _If I only could knock her unconscious, I know Rei-Sensei would be able to fix her… _Kumiko thought as she charged to the cyber girl once again, swinging her metal rings at her as swift as gusts of wind. Aigis dodged all of her assaults and grabbed Kumiko's arms, activating her inner thrusters enough to hover a little and rolled in the air taking her human opponent with her before slamming her on the floor, hard. Kumiko clenched her teeth as her body touched the floor, her whole body screaming in pain.

Yukimura and the others, who were done pulling the SEES members off their crosses (Except for Tsukasa who was literally crushed under Kenji's weight, unable to catch him) moved to help her, but the girl gestured them to not move as she slowly got up. _I'll get you out of this, Aigis-Chan… even if it kills me!!_ She once again clenched her chakrams and charged with a battle cry. This time, she hurled one to Aigis, but the robot deflected it with one arm. She then locked on Kumiko and shot with her gun-arms. The human swiftly dodged hails after hails of bullets by sidestepping and slashed the robot. She received the blow but wasn't damaged by it. Before Kumiko was able to react, Aigis pointed one of her gun-arms at the girl who was really close to her and shot her in the abdomen. With a moan of excruciating pain, Kumiko flew backwards and knelt down, clenching her stomach under everybody's shocked gaze.

"So… you were desperately trying to restore Aigis? Learn how effective my reprogramming is with your life… you shall be the first one to be sacrificed, so rejoice!" Ikutsuki claimed, stretching both arms. Shinn moved to stab him, but Athrun stopped him, saying he wasn't worthy.

Seeing she wasn't moving, Tsukasa immediately shrugged Kenji off and rushed to heal her, but before she had the chance, she and the other presents felt some strange power emerging and jolting inside her body. Right after that, Kumiko slowly stood up, leering as if she was possessed.

"Yeah… laugh as much as you want, four-eyed asshole… you'll be next…" she chuckled in a darker, lower pitch. Then, she clenched her chakrams and swinged them savagely to strike the robot down. For some reason, though, her movements became much, much slower.

"She can't fight with that wound!" Yukari gasped.

"No… the bullet didn't hit anything vital… look well…" Rei pointed at the girl's abdomen: in fact, only the left side of her waist was bleeding.

_But then… now I see! Of course, he can't fight with those… _Konata's mind snapped. Then, to the SEES members. "Is there anyone among you who uses an axe or a hammer?"

"Huh? Um… Shinji did, but…" Akihiko replied, scratching his cheek.

"DUH! Aside him, I mean!" The small girl cried.

Kenji looked around and blinked, pointing a finger at himself. "Uh… I decided to wield one after what happened to Shinjiro-Senpai…" he then took out some sort of war hammer. "…but… why you ask?"

Without explanation, Konata took the hammer from his hands and flung it toward Kumiko while shouting. "KUMI-CHAN!! Use THIS!!!"

The hammer went flying toward the girl who, hearing Konata's voice, leapt backwards and looked at her. The blue-haired small girl clenched her right fist in a dynamic way and yelled: "IT'S YOUR AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAXE!!!!"

Immediately, Kumiko caught the hammer, posing ala Daizengar/Dygenguard in the OGs FMV where he first appears and said: "Hammer Connect: Ghostion Hammer!!"

Even Aigis was a little dumbfounded by all those mecha references in less than a minute. Kumiko (Or rather, Shinjiro inside her body) took advantage of the situation and, wielding the war hammer, delivered a powerful blow on Aigis' small white frame. "BE REDUCED TO LIGHT, MOTHER F&/$ER!!!" she screamed as the violent impact slammed the robot on the floor, finally knocking her unconscious. As smoke and some sparks came out of the robot's motionless body, the mysterious force that took over Kumiko's body disappeared and she collapsed on the floor, injured and exhausted. Immediately, Tsukasa frantically rushed to heal her leader and friend. Thankfully, Rei was right: Aigis' bullet didn't damage her inside, so the girl's healing powers could tend her no problem. Kumiko reopened her eyes and smiled at her in gratitude while Tsukasa nodded on the verge of tears, feeling relieved for saving her friend's life.

_And… thanks, Shinji-Kun… for fighting at my side… _She softly thought

"_Huh? Oh, that… I just felt the urge to do it so to see the face that four-eyed jerkass would have made… no big deal…" _Shinjiro replied in her mind.

"Useless, defective machine!" Ikutsuki spat, looking at Aigis' damaged frame. "No matter! I'll terminate all of you myself!"

With that, the man took out a remote control. Both Shinn and Athrun moved to stop him, but they were overwhelmed by a swift white and gray blur leaping on Ikutsuki and removing the remote from his hands. As it landed, everyone could see it was Koromaru. The dog kept the remote in his mouth, snarling savagely

The two Coordinators moved closer to the scientist, still aiming their weapons at him. Ikutsuki took some steps back, reaching the edge of the rooftop and looked at all the present people while cackling. "Why can't you understand?! This rotten, pathetic world will only fester as time passes by… the only salvation lies in complete destruction!" he then pointed his gun at them, causing Athrun and Shinn's grip on their weapons to tighten as they still focused on him. "And then, at long last… I shall be the one to rule over the new world!"

"Can't you see, old man?! You've lost! This is the end of your whacky plans!" Yukimura growled, walking closer to him.

They all thought he would have shot at someone, but instead, Ikutsuki dropped his gun at his side and, with a bitter chuckle, he whispered: "I was so close…"

After uttering those words, the man took a few more steps back, letting himself fall off the observatory as time felt like slowing down. Shinn dashed to reach for him, the man's hand literally slipping through his fingers. All the three young men could do in the end was watching as Shuji Ikutsuki fell down, ending his own life.

"DAMMIT!!" Shinn spat, pounding the floor as he sunk down on his knees. "What about all the people who suffered because of you?! You gonna die without paying for what you did to them?! HUH?! ANSWER ME, IKUTSUKI!!"

"Shinn…" Athrun knew what he meant and fully understood his comrade's feelings: he himself couldn't forgive Ikutsuki and the old Kirijo Group members for following such a crazy plan, messing time and space and involving them just to play god and destroy the world. Shinn was more than right about feeling flustered and furious.

"How… how did it come to this…?!" Yukari cried, feeling completely at loss. All of the SEES members felt that way. Easy to understand, since everything they strived for, their whole mission, was found out to be nothing but a lie.

"I… I wish I could find an easy answer to that question… but I can't…" Miyuki whispered, powerless.

"Regardless… this is the end of Shuji Ikutsuki… and his dastardly plans of world dominion." Rei said more to himself than to the present teenagers as he picked up Aigis' damaged body.

Then, everyone walked where Takeharu Kirijo's body lied. Mitsuru was there, crouched next to her father's lifeless body, her weary eyes swelling up with tears.

"One day, my father made a promise… he swore he would have atoned for endangering our generation… even at the cost of his life…" her voice became more and more shakily as she could no longer control her emotions. "But I… I wanted him to live… I… I became a Persona-user… just to protect him…"

As she uttered those words, Mitsuru started sobbing quietly, leaning on her deceased father's body. No one of the presents could find the words to comfort her. Athrun felt heartbroken as he looked at her frail, shaking shoulders; he decided to partake the rescue operation to help, but realized he was completely useless in the end; the blue-haired male senior bit his lower lip, cursing himself for his lack of power in such a delicate moment.

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!!**

**Konata: **Next, on PeruSuri, Kagayaku and SEES wage war at each other!

**Kagami: **Liar! It never happens!

**Konata: **I know… but we need to get more readers somehow… I mean, the fic is almost over, for crying out loud!

**Kagami: **Don't mind her, readers: what really happens is both group joining forces to find a TRUE way of dealing with the Dark Hour and shadows!

**Kenji: **Yeah! And our class gets a new student! Um… although it might not have much to do with the plotline… or it does?

**Junpei: **I don't care as long as the new kid is a girl… or some cool playboy!

**Yukimura: **Oooh, sounds like a certain someone will have some competition… isn't that right, ASS-run?

**Athrun: **…Huh? Oh… yeah…

**Tsukasa: **Um… Athrun-Kun? Are you sure you are alright?

**Athrun: **…It's nothing really…

**Aigis: **Who might he be? And why do I sense an aura of danger about him?

**Ken: **The answer is bound to be unveiled as the chapter goes on, I guess…

**Fuuka: **That and some light will finally be shed upon the true purpose of shadows and the being known as Death!

**Kumiko: **And as things get more complicated, will we be able to enjoy the upcoming field trip to Kyoto? I sure hope so…

**Yukari: **I've heard there will be hot springs there… ooh, I don't want to partake in one of those silly onsen skits with lotsa fan service to make pervs happy…!

**Konata: **And no one wants to see you in such a skit, Takebaka.

**Yukari: **Ugh! NOT AGAIN!!

**Miyuki: **The next chapter will also mark the ending for a few main subplots in this story.

**Junpei: **You mean…THAT? Now what am I gonna do?!

**Konata: **Ooh! Mind if I listen to Fury Sparks from Tales of Vesperia??

**Aigis: **Shin Megami Tensei: PeruSuri, chapter 9.

**Konata: **"My heart pounds with undying love! Kona-Chan's grand battle"!!

**Akihiko: **…what kind of title is that?! It sounds like something out of some cheesy girly anime!

**Shinn: **Actually, the title for the next chapter is: "Ryoji Mochizuki"…

**Konata: **MINE sounds much cooler!

**Kumiko: **Um… whatever… be sure to read and review… always if you weren't disappointed by the many twists in THIS chapter!

**Shinjiro: **You DON'T want to miss the next chapter… I mean really, this time…!

**BLUE VELVET: The Peru*Suri trivia channel: Ep.8**

**Elizabeth: **Welcome back to the Velvet Room for a new appointment with the trivia, outtakes and other random stuff about this whacky story… I am Elizabeth, the elevator operator and the two nice boys next to me are the Demon Artist Maxwell and today's guest star, who hails from the newest Shin Megami Tensei game for the DS: Devil Survivor.

**Blue-haired boy with cat ear-shaped headphone wires: **Hi! My name is Kamina Amami, but friends call me Guy! (Actually, that's the name the authoress gave to me in her gamethrough…)

**Maxwell: **(Kamina…Guy? Figures…)

**Elizabeth: **So… should we call you Kamina or simply Guy?

**Guy: **Oh, Guy is fine!

**Maxwell: **For those of you who don't know the kid, he's a Demon Tamer from Tokyo… in other words, he can summon demons in his reality through this mini computer looking like a Nintendo DS game system his cousin left to him and his two friends.

**Elizabeth: **Fascinating… so, tell me, Guy… do you have any interesting story to tell us?

**Guy: **You see, Elizabeth… being stuck inside a city due to a lockdown can be pretty harsh… and there's not much chance to know pleasant stuff since people show their worst side… the only interesting, hilarious pieces of info either come from my friends' e-mails or demons themselves… like, the other day… Pyro Jack told me this very funny story about Mara-"

**Maxwell: **Whoa, hold it… I hope it has nothing to do with explicit sex… this is a T-rated fic and there's a limit to dirty stuff we can put in!

**Guy: **Oh, it's nothing dirty, really… it's just about him having a new slump due to another game from our world!

**Maxwell: **Oh, that! My personal Jack Frost Persona happened to give me a video about it to watch during the transmission! _(Looks at Elizabeth with sad puppy eyes) _Can we watch it, PLEEEEEZE?

**Elizabeth: **What happened to "we shouldn't watch funny outtakes and stuff after plot deaths? _(Looks at Guy, who's smiling and nodding at her) _Whatever, I don't see why not… _(Presses a button in her book and the big screen turns on)_

**MegaTen Special: Dream or Nightmare? Akumu Nikki**

Back in the demon world, a few demons, deities and other mystical creatures are gathered in Nyx's bar (Nocturne, anybody?). As the Night Goddess takes the orders at the counter, Ukobach takes care of the grill and Jack Frost ices the drinks. Customers have fun talking about what happened to them, except for a poor Kobold who would like to use the toilet… if not for Belphegor who is in one of his… um… reflection breaks.

Sitting alone next to the counter, Mara looks completely drained of energy and distressed.

"Ouch, looks like you're in a foul mood again…" Izanagi sighs as he sits down to the counter, looking at the wrong-looking demon lord.

"He's been like this since about a week, it seems…" Nyx puffs, playing with her hair.

"Earthbound again?"

"No, he overcame that a long time ago… this time it's an RPG Maker-made game someone from Japan made…" Orobas quietly explained while sipping some barley tea. "You're the Japanese god… you know anything about it?"

Izanagi grimaced. "You know I don't know much about modern Japan… been a while since it was created… say, aren't you the one who answers questions here?!"

After taking another sip of his tea, the horse-shaped demon sighed. "The game I'm talking about is Yume Nikki… some people call it 'When Earthbound Meets Silent Hill'…"

"Oh…kay…" Both Izanagi and Nyx shared a confuse look and the first decided to take a look at the game… especially after Yomotsu-Ikusa calling him a chicken just the other day.

The Japanese deity decides to borrow Lucifer's PC, the same the fallen angel used to check Earthbound and so he tries Yume Nikki. It doesn't take much for him to feel completely at loss… especially after seeing both Uboa and Monoko the five-armed girl in a single day… as if the weirdness of all those dreamy landscapes, looking like a madman's dream after he ate too much of peyote mushrooms wasn't enough. Soon after, Izanagi is spotted banging his head over and over on the closest wall. Seeing him, YHWH approaches, shaking his bald head. "…and then I get surprised when humans make games where they go and kill ME…"

**Maxwell: **Well, now I am surprised… there's no limit to crazy and trippy games, it appears…

**Elizabeth: **I find it fascinating… dreams are such a mysterious thing… they reveal so many things about your true self…

**Maxwell/Guy: **_(Narrow-eyed)_… that's just a game… !!

**Elizabeth: **_(Embarrassed) _Ah… anyway… let's proceed with the program… as you all remember, last chapter was to sad to have a good number of outtakes and such, so we'll show you a blooper from chapter 7 we couldn't show before… VIDEO!

**Chapter 7 Blooper – ShinjiRoll'd!!**

After the movie marathon, Shinjiro and Kumiko are in the ramen restaurant Hagakure, the first looking thoughtful as the latter enjoys her noodles. Then, noticing how silent he is, she asks him to tell her if something is the matter. "I'm not sure if I might help, but I'm willing to listen…"

Shinjiro slams both hands on the table, causing all the customers to turn around and stands up, looking into her eyes, decisive. He then starts singing:

"_Never gonna give you up, _

_Never gonna let you down,_

_Never gonna run around and desert you!_

_Never gonna make you cry,_

_Never gonna say goodbye_

_Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you!"_

After singing this chorus, he sits back and looks at her. Kumiko stares his face in shock, her whole body quivering. After a few seconds like that, she gets up and runs outside the store, crying while plugging her own ears.

"CUT!!" Shiki screams from her seat. She then walks to Shinjiro, hurling the script on the floor. "SHINJIRO ARAGAKI!! What the $&%£ do you think you're doing?! This never was in the script!"

"…and?" he asks nonchalantly. "The final result was the same, so what? Besides, I think the original script it too harsh… I'm a dick, OK, but that's too mean even for me!"

Shiki can't find a good argumentation and can only slap her forehead while whimpering as she sits back on the director's chair.

**Maxwell: **Great… just what we needed… this is the third time in a week someone RickRoll'd me…

**Guy: **Is it THAT bad? I mean, my friend Atsuro got RickRoll'd nine times in a week… and RickRoll'd someone thrice in the same days! He said it always was the same person who fell for it over and over…

**Maxwell: **_(Grumbles)_

**Guy: **!! Don't tell me… _(Stifling a laugh) _It was YOU?!

**Maxwell: **……

**Elizabeth: **Um… well it could get worse… what if someone used a BAD song instead? Personally, I like that song…

**Maxwell: **Thanks, anyway, Eliz… but it doesn't make me feel better…

**Guy: **Ahem… anyway, Elizabeth… do we have any other blooper or outtake to make Maxwell feel better?

**Elizabeth: **Well, remember when Kenji said he started to wield an axe after Shinjiro's death? I have an outtake about that which also comes as something the authoress calls a voice actor joke… she seems to love those…

**Guy: **Well, show us!

**Chapter 8 Outtake: Strike the Skies with your Axe!!**

It's the night of the fight against the 12th shadow and the SEES members also meet Jin and Takaya from Strega as they cross the Moonlight Bridge, where the shadow appeared.

Before the fight starts, Kenji steps in-between the two groups, cross-armed, his school uniform jacket flying in the breeze.

"Shinjiro-Senpai is dead! He's gone!!" he decisively declares. He then shows his new weapon of choice to them. "…but here's right here in my axe…" and punches the left side of his chest with his right hand. "…and here in my heart! HE LIVES ON AS A PART OF ME!!"

Kenji's words cause multiple reactions: Takaya is dumbfounded, Jin doesn't know if either chuckle or swear, Akihiko is deeply moved by his leader's words (Even after he blurts saying "JUST WHO THE HELL DOES STREGA THINK I AM?!"), Junpei cheers for him while Ken and the girls are simply speechless.

**Maxwell: **Looks like the fic is taking a turn to the manly, awesome and GAR in a mecha way… as if this chapters' references weren't enough…

**Guy: **Cool!! I wish Atsuro and Keisuke were here, they would have loved this reference… oh, right… Keisuke freshly decided to become like Light Yagami and punish the evil ones after losing it…

**Elizabeth: **Did he get a Death Note too?

**Guy: **No, but… I'd say more, but it comes as a spoiler for those who haven't played Devil Survivor yet… and the authoress hates spoilers… so I can't! Sorry!

**Elizabeth: **She's right… no one should spoil something's plot out of curiosity…

**Maxwell: **But isn't she doing it with this fic? I mean spoiling the whole Persona 3 storyline?

**Elizabeth: **Details, just details… you should stop bothering with them! _(Claps her hands) _Anyway, on with the program… the clip we're about to show you is a gag the authoress was planning to slip in the actual fic… too bad it would have disrupted the serious feel of the whole scene, so she made an outtake of it instead! VIDEO!!

**Chapter 8 Outtake: 3 Persona-users Groups**

Ikutsuki's plan to sacrifice the SEES kids has failed because of Kagayaku saving the day… even his last weapon was stopped and now he's cornered by Athrun and Shinn.

"I'm just trying to make sure that, through death, this world reaches salvation! Why can't you understand?!" he spat.

Konata approaches him, the two guys making way to her as she points her sword tip at the man's neck. "Death and damnation… you'll find plenty of them down there…"

Ikutsuki nervously smirks. "This is blasphemy, girl! This is madness!!"

"…Madness?" Konata turns around to face Junpei and the others, her sword tip still touching Ikutsuki's throat. The capped teenager looks back at her and nods with a smile. A grim smile takes shape on her face before she shouts. "THIS…IS…KAGAYAKU!!!"

With that, Konata kicks Ikutsuki, right in the crotch and causes him to fall of the observatory rooftop.

**Maxwell: **…….um… what gender the authoress was again?!

**Guy: **You say "Authoress", so I assume it's a girl… why you ask?

**Maxwell: **These are all gags from manly stuff, that's why!!

**Elizabeth: **Aw, Maxwell… you should let all those silly prejudices about manly stuff and girly stuff go! Girls are more than free to enjoy stuff boys usually like… same goes for guys… I mean, aren't men the best cooks?

**Maxwell: **…I…I guess…

**Elizabeth: **Oh, my… it is time for us to end the episode. I thank Kamina for being our special guest star today… and bid you all goodbye until the next episode of Blue Velvet.

**Maxwell: **Lat-

**Guy: **_(Interrupting Maxwell) _Later days, everybody!

**Maxwell: **That was supposed to be my line, you know?! Aww, forget it…


End file.
